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Technological Advances in Virtue Signalling
The American Astronomical Society is hosting its first virtual conference this week, thanks to the coronavirus. I’m not attending, but I understand that it includes a virtual experience, with a lobby and so on. I came across this screenshot of the virtual lobby. You will note that it includes a prominently-labeled “gender-neutral restroom.”
This just makes me laugh and shake my head. They felt the need to include that for an event that has nobody physically present.
Published in Culture
Madness. I mean, you know what would happen if they didn’t include that.
These things are now like some kind of magic words that people deploy so the rampaging gangs of the Wokerati don’t string them up.
Good point. And now that I think about it, the computer programming and graphics design for this conference are probably a pre-made virtual lobby somebody else made that lots of conferences have bought for their virtual meetings. Still, somebody thought they needed to put that in there. ;)
What good is having superior virtues if you can’t signal it?
An ultimate example of ‘virtue signaling’.
The fact that none of these virtual attendees is wearing a mask is quite surprising to me.
Karen! ;)
So, if you need to take a virtual leak and are unsure if you should virtually sit or stand, they got you covered? And this is what people in the so-called “hard sciences” are concerned about?
@timh, did you ever know a guy named Sheldon Cohen?
The lack of virtual masks shows a callous disregard for fellow digital humans of whatever gender. Deniers!
When there are no people anywhere present, and when it exists solely in a fake, CGI world and on the Internet, I think it’s known as virtual signaling.
No, I’m afraid not. I Googled the name just now and came up with a Carnegie Mellon psychologist who was innovative in measuring stress. Is he the one you mean?
This is the best reply.
No. He taught philosophy at UT and was heavily into astronomy. He was pretty widely known.
The coffee is free too.
I don’t think it entirely unreasonable that people of a virtual sex should have their own virtual bathrooms.
One of the many anachronisms in the science fiction classic 2001: A Space Odyssey occurs in a scene on the space station where you can clearly see signs for a men’s room and a ladies’ room — and no other choices.
Of course, come to think of it, back in 2001 there really weren’t any other choices. Things didn’t get squirrelly until a few years later. So I guess the movie got that part right, at least.
I’ve heard of Sheldon Cooper . . .
Oddly enough, I’ve met him. He was at a convention I worked – he gave a presentation while I was a graphics operator.
He was my best friend for 30 years. One of the funniest people I ever met.
A virtual conference is the perfect place for a gender-neutral bathroom. No one wants to use one in real life.