...so Toronto isn't Canada. The harassment of Kawai Leonard is a disgrace and will be one of the reasons he will not sign with the Raptors. I mean, he wouldn't have anyway, but the constant attention and lack of normal privacy certainly doesn't help. The poor guy can't even enjoy a meal at a restaurant without people flocking around and bugging him. Even helicopters are following him!
Were he living in small-town Ontario -- or any other Canadian hamlet -- people would leave him alone because Canadians are courteous and mindful of others' privacy and personal space. But, as I say, Toronto is not Canada. It's Toronto.
In London a few years ago, we experienced the same thing. The big city was full of loud foreigners haggling and yelling in a multitude of languages over business in swanky hotels and restaurants. In some cultures, the louder one yells, the more important one believes one is. However, in the countryside, England was in full view when we took the train to visit B's Mum. The pubs, filled with polite and friendly patrons and owners, were a delight. I have to say, it was a great relief to discover England was still "there".
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Just wanted to say a few words about today's essay in The Globe and Mail by a Muslim woman who extolls the virtues of the niqab. Sorry, I don't buy it. She claims she wants to communicate and chat with people, but they don't reciprocate. If all you can see are her eyes, that's not communication and it's not welcoming. I see the niqab as sexist; she says she wears it as gratitude to her Lord. I'm not a scholar of the Koran, but everything I have read says the niqab and burka are not mandatory, but the fact that girls must start covering themselves at puberty indicates to me there's obviously something related to sexuality at the root of it.
"Do these people assume (sic, should be "presume") I am oppressed, acting upon the dictate of my husband and blindly following my religion?" she asks. Well, frankly, yes. "I simply wear the niqab to please my Lord," she adds. How this "pleases her Lord" mystifies me? Is she saying that if anyone saw her face or any part of her body "her Lord" would be angry? Certainly, no loving God as I envision the deity, would be displeased.
She concludes by saying, "All I ask is for people to be open-minded and communicate openly." My dear girl, open communication involves the entire face and hands, so covering both kind'a rules that out. "If you ask me a question, we can bridge the gap in between." Do you think your average mall shopper would walk up to you and start chatting? Never gonna happen. The non-face you present to the world makes it impossible.
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