I Would Like To Be Judged On

In April 2006, A Dutch Court Ordered That I Leave My Safe-home That I Was Renting From The State. The Judge Concluded That My Neighbors Had A Right To Argue That They Felt Unsafe Because Of My Presence In The Building.

My First Experience In The Netherlands Was Very Pleasant, Extremely Pleasant. I Mean, I Got My Residence Permit, Refugee Status, Within Four Weeks Of Arrival. People Treated Me Extremely Well.

I Cannot Emphasize Enough How Wrongheaded This Is. Withholding Criticism And Ignoring Differences Are Racism In Its Purest Form. Yet These Cultural Experts Fail To Notice That, Through Their Anxious Avoidance Of Criticizing Non-western Countries, They Trap The People Who Represent These Cultures In A State Of Backwardness. The Experts May Have The Best Of Intentions, But As We All Know, The Road To Hell Is Paved With Good Intentions.

I Think Of Canada, First And Foremost, In Terms Of Space. The Amount Of Space Available Is Breathtaking.

My Conscience Is Informed By Reason. It's Like Kant's Categorical Imperative: Behave To Others As You Would Wish They Behaved To You.