Cris Corbito studies political science at Glendon Campus of York University. He is interested in the history of political thought.
On October 4, 2024, the renowned data scientist Nik Nanos visited Glendon Campus to deliver his lecture on the evolving dynamics of Canadian democracy. His thought-provoking lecture was attended by Glendon professors, current students of various disciplines, and even older generations. While the lecture touches on the themes of democracy and voter rage, I was more interested in the discussion of the state of the younger generation.
Nanos commenced the lecture by differentiating the reality of the social contract of then and now. Sixty years ago, for instance, he claimed that the social contract embodies two premises: (1) once you graduated from high school, you could get a fulfilling job; and (2) once you earned money, you could buy a house and still have money remaining for investments. A university education was not a prerequisite to realize this social contract. While the audience from the older generation confirmed this social contract, the younger audience was muddled.
This social contract is no longer enforceable to this day. A university education is required, which decries the first premise. Notwithstanding, having a degree does not translate into a meaningful and fulfilling job. Nanos claimed that many people who have graduated from university do not have ideal jobs at all; most of them are underemployed or worse—unemployed. Nanos delivered the alarming news that more young people are dissatisfied with their lives, and they have become increasingly pessimistic with the direction of the world.
With the current neoliberal crisis in education and the introduction of artificial intelligence in the workplace, younger generations are waging increasing pressure on the social contract. My biggest takeaway is that more youth reject the prosperity narrative and embrace a populist narrative. This is both alarming, both to the future of Canadian democracy and the education system. As the prosperity narrative strengthens the relationship between a parent and a child to ponder about the latter’s bright future, the populist narrative attracts more youth to hinder themselves from envisioning their future that can put their lives in jeopardy. The populist narrative bolsters the notions that the education system is futile and the future is becoming bleaker. Nanos stated that this populist narrative provokes more youth to support populist parties in the Western Europe in the belief that these populist parties can be their saviours amid this pending crisis of the time. This lecture compels its attendees to pay attention to students’ potential exclusion from this longstanding social contract enforced by previous generations.
The future of Canadian Studies must shift its focus to the study of the younger generations—primarily post-secondary students, who still currently believe in this social contract. Disciplines like Canadian Studies must be at the forefront of exposing the societal ills that affect post-secondary students and employ their perspective to advance pragmatic solutions from their perspectives. With this type of focus, the younger generation will not feel misplaced and disconnected from the current discourse. Universities must be an avenue for students to take up space in critical institutions that can empower them to pivot the country in a better direction. Students must be willing to use the university phase as a transformational period to become changemakers.
Attending this lecture made me realize that students can restore this social contract through the education system. The education system is the main breeding ground for students-turned- changemakers to confront society and make a difference. If students can restore this social contract, we can also protect the fragility of our democracy. The lecture also enabled me to use my talents and knowledge to foster academic and civil discourse. By dispatching my critical reflection here, I hope I can inspire more post-secondary students to participate more in political discussions and to be fearless in disturbing the comfortable.
Dispatchers in Canadian Studies are undergraduate students who attend events related to the study of Canada and report on what they witness and learned through blogposts. This initiative is in collaboration with Brock University, Mount Allison University, and Trent University.