# lindsaybluth, please provide a cite

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsaybluth-please-provide-a-cite/576575>\
**Category:** The BBQ Pit\
**Created:** [March 30, 2011, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsaybluth-please-provide-a-cite/576575 "2011-03-30T23:12:15Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 19

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**Author:** ![Omegaman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e480ec/32.png) [@Omegaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omegaman)\
**Post date:** [April 4, 2011, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsaybluth-please-provide-a-cite/576575/361 "2011-04-04T17:15:15Z")

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> [@Shodan](#):
>
> What, you didn’t have any cats? Peasant.
> 
> _My_ family had dishes we didn’t even use. You know the commemorative plates of Elvis in Las Vegas? We had the complete set.
> 
> And decorations we never used except in December.
> 
> It has given me a perspective that not everyone shares.
> 
> Regards,  
> Shodan

Yeah, you fucker!!! We had cats! They were the first to go!

Dude, try to catch a cat. If it wasn’t for the dogs in the neighborhood we would have starved. Hell, witch works better? Here kitty kitty? Or here Boy!  
You’re a peasant through and through  
Word.

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**Author:** ![Paranoid\_Randroid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paranoid_randroid/32/18_2.png) [@Paranoid\_Randroid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paranoid_Randroid)\
**Post date:** [April 4, 2011, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsaybluth-please-provide-a-cite/576575/362 "2011-04-04T17:41:41Z")

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> [@MsWhatsit](#):
>
> You stay proud with your lack of caps! Hell, it’ll probably start a trend. People are going to want to be cool like you now that they know you know about Opal.

I’m learning a bit about Buddhism, particularly Vipassana meditation. But if I were of a mind to try Zen I’ve thought of a great koan:

The student asked his master, “What is more annoying: someone innocuously using no capitalization, or others who wail and whine and gnash their teeth about someone innocuously using no capitalization?” The master replied, “Whoever wins—we lose”, before taking a handgun from his robes and blowing his own brains out.

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**Author:** ![expectopatronum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/expectopatronum/32/173_2.png) [@expectopatronum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/expectopatronum)\
**Post date:** [April 4, 2011, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsaybluth-please-provide-a-cite/576575/363 "2011-04-04T17:49:26Z")

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i don’t like stainless steel colanders. i don’t know why, i just prefer the plastic ones.

it might be because i grew up in a house with two bathrooms. it took me a long time to stop being angry at my parents because of that.

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**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\
**Post date:** [April 4, 2011, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsaybluth-please-provide-a-cite/576575/364 "2011-04-04T17:58:18Z")

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> [@Paranoid\_Randroid](#):
>
> I’m learning a bit about Buddhism, particularly Vipassana meditation. But if I were of a mind to try Zen I’ve thought of a great koan:
> 
> The student asked his master, “What is more annoying: someone innocuously using no capitalization, or others who wail and whine and gnash their teeth about someone innocuously using no capitalization?” The master replied, “Whoever wins—we lose”, before taking a handgun from his robes and blowing his own brains out.

Lord, you ain’t kiddin’.

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**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\
**Post date:** [April 4, 2011, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsaybluth-please-provide-a-cite/576575/365 "2011-04-04T21:30:35Z")

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> [@Meyer6](#):
>
> Wow, classy. If you’re planning on going into the health care field, it’s always helpful if you completely discredit peoples serious medical problems.

According to lindsay, most people have no idea how to evaluate their doctor’s competence, either – [“You just see the white coat and assume competence. Because you’re an idiot and a member of the general public.”](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=13416618&postcount=42)

She has also discredited dermatologists and pediatricans – [“Sounds like you should become a dermatologist or a pediatrician; something not very hard.”](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=13378055&postcount=6)

(And also social workers – [“A ‘social worker’ is code for ‘someone too dumb to major in English’.”](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=13195955&postcount=98))

With attitudes like these, it’s a little alarming that she volunteers so many hours. I just can’t decide if she needs to spend more time volunteering with other people, or if she should stop inflicting herself on people who need help.

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**Author:** ![ladyfoxfyre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@ladyfoxfyre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladyfoxfyre)\
**Post date:** [April 4, 2011, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsaybluth-please-provide-a-cite/576575/366 "2011-04-04T21:35:06Z")

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> [@Beadalin](#):
>
> According to lindsay, most people have no idea how to evaluate their doctor’s competence, either – [“You just see the white coat and assume competence. Because you’re an idiot and a member of the general public.”](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=13416618&postcount=42)

Yeah, the whole “I know lots about doctors that you probably don’t have a clue about” part was especially funny to me, considering I work closely with about 60 physicians during the scope of my work (not as any of their children, I might add). But yeah, nobody knows as much about doctors as **lindsay**.

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**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\
**Post date:** [April 4, 2011, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsaybluth-please-provide-a-cite/576575/367 "2011-04-04T22:28:37Z")

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> [@ladyfoxfyre](#):
>
> Yeah, the whole “I know lots about doctors that you probably don’t have a clue about” part was especially funny to me, considering I work closely with about 60 physicians during the scope of my work (not as any of their children, I might add). But yeah, nobody knows as much about doctors as **lindsay**.

Well, the doctors you work with probably aren’t the frickin’ interesting kind who buy real estate without permission!

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**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\
**Post date:** [April 4, 2011, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsaybluth-please-provide-a-cite/576575/368 "2011-04-04T22:36:25Z")

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> [@expectopatronum](#):
>
> the only point i’m trying to make is that **i know how the board works.**

I remain unconvinced.

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**Author:** ![expectopatronum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/expectopatronum/32/173_2.png) [@expectopatronum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/expectopatronum)\
**Post date:** [April 4, 2011, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsaybluth-please-provide-a-cite/576575/369 "2011-04-04T23:16:35Z")

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okie dokie, artichokey!

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**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\
**Post date:** [April 4, 2011, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsaybluth-please-provide-a-cite/576575/370 "2011-04-04T23:30:23Z")

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I, for one, don’t give a shit if you use capital letters or not. As long as you write clearly, I’m happy. I’m not sure if my opinion is worth anything, but I’m giving it anyway.

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**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\
**Post date:** [April 4, 2011, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsaybluth-please-provide-a-cite/576575/371 "2011-04-04T23:42:19Z")

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> [@Beadalin](#):
>
> She has also discredited dermatologists and pediatricans – [“Sounds like you should become a dermatologist or a pediatrician; something not very hard.”](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=13378055&postcount=6)

After I saw that when it was first posted, I wrote her off as a prime example of ignorance fighting back. I’ve seen nothing in this thread to make me revise that opinion into anything more positive.

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**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\
**Post date:** [April 4, 2011, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsaybluth-please-provide-a-cite/576575/372 "2011-04-04T23:56:42Z")

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> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#):
>
> After I saw that when it was first posted, I wrote her off as a prime example of ignorance fighting back. I’ve seen nothing in this thread to make me revise that opinion into anything more positive.

And this is coming from someone who knows what CME’s are, not the rest of us ignoramuses!

I don’t care much if someone capitalizes, either, as long as they can punctuate. It’s not very readable if both are missing, but one or the other is do-able. Barely.

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**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\
**Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsaybluth-please-provide-a-cite/576575/373 "2011-04-05T00:07:20Z")

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I’m going to shock myself by defending lindsaybluth’s comments about pediatricians and dermatologists, or at least offering a potential partial defense. Is it possible she was simply talking about office hours and the like? I guess I wouldn’t think of dermatology as being a highly pressured always-on-call specialization, unlike, say, heart surgeon.

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**Author:** ![anu-la1979](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@anu-la1979](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anu-la1979)\
**Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsaybluth-please-provide-a-cite/576575/374 "2011-04-05T00:10:21Z")

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> [@jsgoddess](#):
>
> I’m going to shock myself by defending lindsaybluth’s comments about pediatricians and dermatologists, or at least offering a potential partial defense. Is it possible she was simply talking about office hours and the like? I guess I wouldn’t think of dermatology as being a highly pressured always-on-call specialization, unlike, say, heart surgeon.

Yes but the residency is crazy hard to obtain, because they’re so limited in number. Advising someone to go into dermatology because it’s “not hard” is like saying “have you considered starting a succesful hedge fund?” There was an extensive NYTimes article on it a few years ago. I read it while wallowing in the gutter, of course.

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**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\
**Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsaybluth-please-provide-a-cite/576575/375 "2011-04-05T00:17:29Z")

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The lack of caps mostly bugs me in long multi-paragraph posts for some reason. It’s not so bad in the shorter ones. I could not resist making some jokes about “OMG I am an SDMB expert as you can tell by my Opal reference” though.

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**Author:** ![Gestalt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/90ced4/32.png) [@Gestalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gestalt)\
**Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsaybluth-please-provide-a-cite/576575/376 "2011-04-05T00:19:49Z")

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> [@anu-la1979](#):
>
> Yes but the residency is crazy hard to obtain, because they’re so limited in number. Advising someone to go into dermatology because it’s “not hard” is like saying “have you considered starting a succesful hedge fund?” There was an extensive NYTimes article on it a few years ago. I read it while wallowing in the gutter, of course.

Yeah, it was interesting to me that she juxtapositioned them because they seem to be on ends of a spectrum from my POV.

Broad, broad generalizations here, but:

Peds: (relatively) easy to get into, low pay, brutal residency, long hours while working, lots of outpatient, important skills are communication and ability to translate infant/childlike behavior and mannerisms into signs of pathology (so you need to have “people skills”)

Derm: Impossible to get into, huge salary, relatively easy residency hours-wise, 9-5 practice, mostly inpatient, important skills are ability to read biopsy slides and diagnose conditions (so you need to have “book smarts”)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![anu-la1979](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@anu-la1979](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anu-la1979)\
**Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsaybluth-please-provide-a-cite/576575/377 "2011-04-05T00:23:12Z")

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> [@Gestalt](#):
>
> Yeah, it was interesting to me that she juxtapositioned them because they seem to be on ends of a spectrum from my POV.
> 
> Broad, broad generalizations here, but:
> 
> Peds: (relatively) easy to get into, low pay, brutal residency, long hours while working, lots of outpatient, important skills are communication and ability to translate infant/childlike behavior and mannerisms into signs of pathology (so you need to have “people skills”)
> 
> Derm: Impossible to get into, huge salary, relatively easy residency hours-wise, 9-5 practice, mostly inpatient, important skills are ability to read biopsy slides and diagnose conditions (so you need to have “book smarts”)

Seriously. If you’re going to insult another residency/specialty in conjunction with Peds, you’d think to go for something like Psych, right?

(don’t hurt me, my sister is a psychiatrist, a really good person and we’re so so proud of her…just saying this is the type of kneejerk shitty response she’s used to, even though she graduated at the top of her med school class)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\
**Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsaybluth-please-provide-a-cite/576575/378 "2011-04-05T00:26:29Z")

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> [@anu-la1979](#):
>
> Yes but the residency is crazy hard to obtain, because they’re so limited in number. Advising someone to go into dermatology because it’s “not hard” is like saying “have you considered starting a succesful hedge fund?” There was an extensive NYTimes article on it a few years ago. I read it while wallowing in the gutter, of course.

Cool, thanks for the info. I know nothing about med school and residency and the like.

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**Author:** ![anu-la1979](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@anu-la1979](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anu-la1979)\
**Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsaybluth-please-provide-a-cite/576575/379 "2011-04-05T00:28:48Z")

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> [@jsgoddess](#):
>
> Cool, thanks for the info. I know nothing about med school and residency and the like.

No problem. Here’s a [link](http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/19/fashion/19beauty.html) to how hard it is to get a derm residency.

I remember seeing her “go into something easy, like derm” statement and debating whether to say something, but realizing it probably wasn’t worth it.

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**Author:** ![Gestalt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/90ced4/32.png) [@Gestalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gestalt)\
**Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsaybluth-please-provide-a-cite/576575/380 "2011-04-05T00:31:19Z")

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> [@anu-la1979](#):
>
> Seriously. If you’re going to insult another residency/specialty in conjunction with Peds, you’d think to go for something like Psych, right?

Agreed. Things like peds, psych, and family medicine tend to have lower board scores than other disciplines and so are considered “easy,” although I think they are all challenging in their own ways. Also i know tons of very smart and dedicated students who want to go into all of those fields.

I guess Peds and Derm can be both considered “easy” in the sense that the former requires a bit less intellectual rigor to get into and the latter requires less physical stamina, when compared to something like a surgical specialty or emergency medicine, which require both. Still an odd comment though.

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