I don't think the deep and subtle questions are being asked. The reigning ideology does not _permit itself the expressive power_ to _formulate_ the deep and subtle questions. "Given that a person's gender cannot be inferred by appearance," reads the email. _Cannot_ be inferred, says Google! This is either insane, or a blatant lie told to appease the insane. Neither bodes well for the future of my civilization. (Contrast to sane versions of the concern, like, "Cannot be inferred with sufficiently high reliability", or, "Can be inferred in most cases, but we're concerned about the social implications of misclassifying edge cases.") I'm used to this shit from support groups at the queer center in Berkeley or in Portland, but I never really took it seriously—never really believed that it _could_ be taken seriously. But Google! Aren't those guys supposed to know math?
I don't think the deep and subtle questions are being asked. The reigning ideology does not _permit itself the expressive power_ to _formulate_ the deep and subtle questions. "Given that a person's gender cannot be inferred by appearance," reads the email. _Cannot_ be inferred, says Google! This is either insane, or a blatant lie told to appease the insane. Neither bodes well for the future of my civilization. (Contrast to sane versions of the concern, like, "Cannot be inferred with sufficiently high reliability", or, "Can be inferred in most cases, but we're concerned about the social implications of misclassifying edge cases.") I'm used to this shit from support groups at the queer center in Berkeley or in Portland, but I never really took it seriously—never really believed that it _could_ be taken seriously. But Google! Aren't those guys supposed to know math?