Laurentian University and the Collapse of Western Civilisation:Part 2

This is the second part of my series on Laurentian University, which is based on a discussion I had with my formerProfessor, Peter Suschnigg.

Once again, this encounter took place in 1996 and reflects the continuous decline in both Canada and Western Civilisation. In the previous essay, I mentioned that there is a general attitude within academia and the West of “who cares.” That is, citizens of the West can have their culture and religion replaced by any other group, and the overall mindset among the leadership and citizens is: who cares.

In addition to this attitude, there is another mindset that is creeping through Western governments and academia, namely: “What are you going to do about it?”

Once again, I’ll use the case of my professors from 1996.

My professor, Peter Suschnigg, and his wife, Carol Suschnigg, made the decision that they would not mark my papers and would simply pretend that I did not exist. When I confronted Peter Suschnigg about it, he flatly replied, “We are not going to mark your papers. We are not going to give you your degree. What are you going to do about it?”

What stuck with me most during the exchange was the line he repeated: “What are you going to do about it?”

The reality is, in the academic world, there was nothing I could do. There are processes and procedures, but these are simply the tools professors use to push students out of the university. In the words of Professor Suschnigg, “Go and fight it out with the administration, and come back and tell me what they do about it.”

The truth is, there was no way for me to “force” the professor to read my papers or to give me my degree.

However, this mindset of “What are you going to do about it?” has now become the general attitude of governments across the West.

For example, the current Canadian government can enforce lockdowns during Covid, freeze bank accounts, regulate speech on university campuses, impose gender ideology on children, increase taxes at every level, and print money that drives up inflation. And the simple response to Canadians is always the same: “What are you going to do about it?”

Again, this degradation of society began in the 1980s in Canada and has been on a steady slope downward ever since. In addition, the average Canadian has no media, no journalist who will present his case, no intellectual elite class that will argue his grievances, and no politician—whether liberal or conservative—who will listen to his objections.

This impotence of the individual against institutional power is a symbol of the broader erosion of Western values: liberty, accountability, and the rule of law. These were the principles that once defined our civilization.

Laurentian University, as a microcosm, exemplifies how academia has devolved into centers of decay and dysfunction — what some would call “white trash” with credentials.

In 1996, when Professors Peter and Carol Suschnigg dismissed my existence, they weren’t just sabotaging one student’s future. They were foreshadowing the totalitarian drift taking root in both Canada and broader Western societies. The “what are you going to do about it?” taunt isn’t just a threat or an insult. It is evidence of systemic rot spreading through the entire government. Everyone knows that the mechanisms meant to check academia, politicians, or government institutions no longer function as safeguards. They are an illusion.

By the 1990s, as my experience showed, universities were already purging dissenters and using administrative procedures to select for so-called “woke types.” In essence, one type of student is welcomed, while someone like me is simply told, “What are you going to do about it?”

Again, fast forward to today, and the average citizen is met with a constant “What are you going to do about it?” It reappears in every policy: carbon taxes that cripple the working class, immigration policies that strain the social fabric without consultation, and Bill C-63’s speech controls that criminalize “hate” preemptively. Then there is Bill C-8. It empowers ministers to issue secret, binding directives to telecoms and operators, including disabling services, removing content, or collecting data without warrants. This is a direct continuation of what began at places like Laurentian University. The government could now enforce digital lockdowns or bans, and simply respond, “It’s for national security. What are you going to do about it?” Citizens, lacking media or elite support, face diluted recourse in a system where bureaucracy protects overreach and pushes Western society further toward controlled discourse.

Western civilization, built on Greco-Roman rationality and Judeo-Christian ethics, crumbles as it is replaced with the “who cares” apathy from Part 1 and merged destructively with “what are you going to do about it?”  

Even abroad, this defiant posture can be seen in the UK's crackdown, where police arrest over 30 people daily for “offensive” online posts that cause mere "annoyance" or "anxiety," chilling dissent under vague laws. Governments impose censorship, retorting "what are you going to do about it?" as freedoms vanish, ushering in authoritarianism beneath layers of public indifference.

In 1996, when my professor, Peter Suschnigg, smirked and said, “We are not going to give you your degree,” and “What are you going to do about it,” it was a warning that few of my fellow Canadians understood. Now the effects are being felt. Every Canadian is now told by the government, “What are you going to do about it?”

It is this dual mindset of “who cares” and “what are you going to do about it” that is actively fueling the destruction not only of Canada, but of Western civilization. This attitude breeds resignation among the people while empowering unaccountable elites to dismantle freedoms without consequence. Eventually, the Western heritage of Christianity will be replaced by enforced mediocrity and control.