This sterile HR language is telling of an attitude that I believe is a massive problem in our culture even without wokeness. It's a form of credentialism that automatically demeans people in the outgroup in the same way that paramilitary cops start referring to other civilians as "civilians." You look down on them as the great unwashed who will have to pass several moats and walls of arbitrary procedures just to have a real conversation with you, and if they try to climb over those walls then they're guilty of "threatening behavior" and subject to civil and criminal sanctions.
Same phenomenon: Jeff Metcalf tried to talk to the Frisco ISD superintendent for a few minutes, but was told he needed to make an appointment for Monday. Yes Jeff is a stupid boomer, but no one seriously believes the superintendent is actually too busy to talk to him. In fact he is a nobleman, and Jeff is a peasant who must enter the court with the correct procedures.
Obama was the great champion of this ethos, Hillary was the uber steroided version, and Trump is its worst nightmare.
It's much older than Obama. It is the Middle Managerial full scale cultural dominance of society.
It's basically an extension of Technocratic socialism, and political rationalism, from the Progressive era.
I don't even think that the School's HR sees anyone as inferiors, just that proceduralism, credentialism, and legalism allows anyone from ever having to make moral judgements or solve moral dilemmas.
I don't even think that the School's HR sees anyone as inferiors, just that proceduralism, credentialism, and legalism allows anyone from ever having to make moral judgements or solve moral dilemmas.
Exactly this. I had to suffer under the oppressive weight of the "zero tolerance" policies in school. As a kid who got bullied a lot for being weird (got onto computers at 5 and never really socialized much), the policy which was intended to help people like me ended up making things a lot worse. Other kids resented me if teachers found out about things they did because of the punishments. At least a few times I'd get punished myself because they didn't want to even attempt to sort out what had happened for fear of making an error.
People seem to see technology as something which will liberate them from difficult decisions through automation. In actual practice though, impersonal systems can't make reasonable decisions about individual people, and the errors they make can end up being significantly greater than whatever problems they solve.
At least a few times I'd get punished myself because they didn't want to even attempt to sort out what had happened for fear of making an error.
This reminds me of one time in early grade school. I skinned my knee during a lunch break and went inside to have it cleaned up. While I was in there something happened outside (I never did find out what), and I guess none of the adults supervising were really paying attention. So they just bulk punished everyone. I had a pretty obvious alibi (I was literally getting bandaged away from everyone else) but once I came back they still punished me too just because they were punishing everyone.
"Why will AI never replace certain industries like law and governance?"
impersonal systems can't make reasonable decisions about individual people, and the errors they make can end up being significantly greater than whatever problems they solve.
Ironically, that's what all the tech for the last few decades have been getting rid of. Do we need twenty people to design this? No, Steve can do it. He does the entire work of an entire office. The problem is most haven't realized that's what is happening, and those that do are trying to stop it.
This sterile HR language is telling of an attitude that I believe is a massive problem in our culture even without wokeness. It's a form of credentialism that automatically demeans people in the outgroup in the same way that paramilitary cops start referring to other civilians as "civilians." You look down on them as the great unwashed who will have to pass several moats and walls of arbitrary procedures just to have a real conversation with you, and if they try to climb over those walls then they're guilty of "threatening behavior" and subject to civil and criminal sanctions.
Same phenomenon: Jeff Metcalf tried to talk to the Frisco ISD superintendent for a few minutes, but was told he needed to make an appointment for Monday. Yes Jeff is a stupid boomer, but no one seriously believes the superintendent is actually too busy to talk to him. In fact he is a nobleman, and Jeff is a peasant who must enter the court with the correct procedures.
Obama was the great champion of this ethos, Hillary was the uber steroided version, and Trump is its worst nightmare.
It's much older than Obama. It is the Middle Managerial full scale cultural dominance of society.
It's basically an extension of Technocratic socialism, and political rationalism, from the Progressive era.
I don't even think that the School's HR sees anyone as inferiors, just that proceduralism, credentialism, and legalism allows anyone from ever having to make moral judgements or solve moral dilemmas.
Exactly this. I had to suffer under the oppressive weight of the "zero tolerance" policies in school. As a kid who got bullied a lot for being weird (got onto computers at 5 and never really socialized much), the policy which was intended to help people like me ended up making things a lot worse. Other kids resented me if teachers found out about things they did because of the punishments. At least a few times I'd get punished myself because they didn't want to even attempt to sort out what had happened for fear of making an error.
People seem to see technology as something which will liberate them from difficult decisions through automation. In actual practice though, impersonal systems can't make reasonable decisions about individual people, and the errors they make can end up being significantly greater than whatever problems they solve.
This reminds me of one time in early grade school. I skinned my knee during a lunch break and went inside to have it cleaned up. While I was in there something happened outside (I never did find out what), and I guess none of the adults supervising were really paying attention. So they just bulk punished everyone. I had a pretty obvious alibi (I was literally getting bandaged away from everyone else) but once I came back they still punished me too just because they were punishing everyone.
Absolute insanity.
Sounds about right.
"Why will AI never replace certain industries like law and governance?"
Ironically, that's what all the tech for the last few decades have been getting rid of. Do we need twenty people to design this? No, Steve can do it. He does the entire work of an entire office. The problem is most haven't realized that's what is happening, and those that do are trying to stop it.
You would enjoy "The Unaccountability Machine," by Dan Davies. Check it out.
If only Jeff knew there exists a tool that can make people see you right now.