By Toby Nathan<
By Toby Nathan
Unigo Campus Rep at Boston University
Boston University people watching club is an activity we all take part in, one of the most inherent aspects of human life, and yet, for many, it goes unappreciated, unnoticed.;
People watching.
For Matt Raymond, a junior studying history and social studies education at Boston University, it had gone on unappreciated long enough. Along with co-founder and fellow Boston University junior Amanda Garant, he created a place for people to gather, watch, and discuss their findings in the Fall of 2007. At the club’s first meeting, over 75 people showed up. Allison Moore, the people watching club secretary, a senior studying print journalism at BU, was shocked at the the amount of interest the club’s creation had generated. “[The club is so enticing] because it brings together a group of people who aren’t interested in other clubs just because its so unusual and requires so little effort.”
For Raymond, the people watching club was an opportunity to share one of his passions, one of his daily activities, a constant in his life, with other students at the university. “The cool thing is that everyone looks for different things and does it for different reasons. It is very personal,” he said. “I like to pick up on people’s mannerisms because it is amazing how different people are. We live in such a diverse world and I love admiring it.”
The people watching club’s mantra–”We’re not creepy, we’re just interested”–carries with it an explanation in defense of any negative connotation “people watching” may inherently carry with it, but that doesn’t exclude the club from earning some curious looks and inquiries about the seriousness of the club, Moore said.
Whether it’s a universal facet of life that simply often goes ignored or a great talent that that must be honed and worked on, People Watching is now a recognized activity at Boston University. The Boston University people watching club attracts interest all over campus, and whatever it provides its members, whether it be an opportunity for lazy participation or a chance to share one’s deepest thoughts, it is certainly a welcome addition to the gamut of activities at Boston University.