grahambinns.com

(Posting this in the morning from the conference; my hotel wifi went away last night and I'm damned if I'm going to pay another 10 Euros just to post this...) 

Dinner's over and, for a conference dinner, it was fantastic. I should have taken photos of the food itself; the omnivore main course - which should, I think, have been called the carnivore option given its content - consisted of some courgette, some carrots, some mashed potatoes with herbs, gravy... and the biggest piece of lamb I've seen on one plate. Except there was one on each plate. It was delicious, but I think I've eaten my red meat portion for the week.

I was sat at a table with Tim Parkin of Pollenation Internet and Russel Winder of Concertant LLP, amongst others. The conversation meandered pleasantly between photography, Python, business accounting, physics and university. Conference dinners are often a bit naff. This one was pretty good.

There were only two real blights on the evening. One was the cheese-smeared eighties pop muzak that started to blare from the PA system shortly after the after dinner speaker, LUG Radio and Canonical's own Jono Bacon, had finished (excellent speech Jono, by the way). The other was that, before dinner was served, we were asked to stand. No one told us why, and like obedient sheep we all did, only for the MC for the evening (I think it was John Pinner, the conference organiser) to say grace. Well, I say "grace"; what was said was "For what we are about to receive, let us all be truly thankful."

Let's state this in no uncertain terms. I spent my own money to come to this conference. I came down on the train last night, spending the weekend away from my girlfriend - the last weekend of her summer break from college, by the way - and I spent my own money to make sure that I could still have WiFi access and work whilst I was in the hotel. I came to learn and to talk about Python.

I did not come to have someone say grace for me. In fact, I find the fact that someone decided that they would say grace for me, assuming my consent, without consulting me first, to be deeply offensive.

Which brings another thought to mind.

We ask people about their dietary preferences. When the PyConUK delegates signed up for the conference they specified which menu they wanted (omnivore, vegetarian or vegan). We deliberately go out of our way to make sure that people eat only what they want to eat; we don't force them to eat something that goes against their personal preferences, whether their reasons for those preferences are logical or not.

So why is it considered okay for people to shove their religion, their personal, spiritual and to me irrational beliefs down my throat without so much as a by-your-leave?