# Sometimes education can make you stupid. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 21, 2014, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-education-can-make-you-stupid/684239 "2014-03-21T18:43:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pohjonen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pohjonen/32/423_2.png) [@pohjonen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pohjonen)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2014, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-education-can-make-you-stupid/684239/1 "2014-03-21T18:43:32Z")
So I am turning 65 soon and am in the process of getting set up with Medicare. I set up my account online and discovered a nifty feature where you can fill out all of your health information so that your providers can access it and maybe you wouldn’t have to fill out all of those stupid forms, repeatedly. First stop - allergies. This should be easy. I am allergic to iodine. But that doesn’t have a drop down box, so I select “Other” and type in “iodine.” The next box wants a name for the allergy. Huh? There are no drop down boxes here. I don’t know the name for an iodine allergy, so I try to skip past that. Can’t. So I type in WTF? but the form won’t accept that. Gotta put in the real name, ya know. Okay, I’ll just skip this section. Immunizations. That should be easy. I select “Polio” and it wants the exact date and won’t let you progress without it. Ah, I remember it well. It was a Tuesday, October 5, 1959. It was raining. Okay, I’ll just skip this section. Health history. Gout. I check the box. Now it wants the exact date of my first attack and when my gout ended. Okay, I’ll just skip this section. Family Health History. Surely I can complete this section. Father, born (I Know this date!) Died (I Know this date!) and now a series of boxes to check. There is a box for undescended testicles, but none for stroke (or cerebral hemorrhage), which is what killed my father. And no place to type it in. I give up. I’ll fill out the forms at the Doctor’s office. Who designs these things anyway??? I don’t know, but I bet you went to college. Well - FUCK YOU! ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2014, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-education-can-make-you-stupid/684239/2 "2014-03-21T18:51:57Z")
Ah yes, Creating Fucked-up Computer Forms 101 was my favorite class in college! ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2014, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-education-can-make-you-stupid/684239/3 "2014-03-21T19:12:07Z")
It was called Form Obsfucating and Perplixification at good old FU. SDMB was our semester final project. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2014, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-education-can-make-you-stupid/684239/4 "2014-03-21T19:46:40Z")
n/m ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2014, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-education-can-make-you-stupid/684239/5 "2014-03-21T19:51:54Z")
Green grass gently sways. Youth tramples upon the lawn. Tears on the aged cheek. ---
**Author:** ![pohjonen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pohjonen/32/423_2.png) [@pohjonen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pohjonen)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2014, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-education-can-make-you-stupid/684239/6 "2014-03-21T20:11:18Z")
Nice haiku. Youth will end up under the grass someday, too. Grass always gets the last laugh. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2014, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-education-can-make-you-stupid/684239/7 "2014-03-21T20:12:53Z")
As a rule of thumb, when it comes to dates like this a rough guess is good enough. What is important is the whether your gout was resolved several weeks, months, or years ago, not the exact date. ---
**Author:** ![buckgully](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb9ed0/32.png) [@buckgully](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buckgully)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2014, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-education-can-make-you-stupid/684239/8 "2014-03-21T20:21:07Z")
Committees don’t go to college. They go to process training seminars. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2014, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-education-can-make-you-stupid/684239/9 "2014-03-21T20:26:41Z")
Yeah, I’d blame committee design meetings before I blame education. ---
**Author:** ![emcee2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emcee2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emcee2k)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2014, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-education-can-make-you-stupid/684239/10 "2014-03-21T20:34:06Z")
Couldn’t you just type “iodine allergy” for the name of the allergy? Or, if it has some other name, look it up on the internet. And I would have just put rough estimates for the dates. It’s not like it would know the difference. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2014, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-education-can-make-you-stupid/684239/11 "2014-03-21T20:41:46Z")
> [@emcee2k](#): > > Couldn’t you just type “iodine allergy” for the name of the allergy? Or, if it has some other name, look it up on the internet. > > And I would have just put rough estimates for the dates. It’s not like it would know the difference. Trouble is, you’re not sure what is important. If they want rough estimates, they shouldn’t make the form with boxes for month, day year (4 digits only, please. We wouldn’t want to think you had your first heart attack in 1890!). At the end of a lot of these type of forms there is a place to affirm that the facts are true. Do you want to risk your benefits being cancelled because you put 10 Oct 1995 when it was actually 12 Oct 1995? But just plain Oct 1995 will keep you from advancing in the form. ---
**Author:** ![PoorYorick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@PoorYorick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoorYorick)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2014, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-education-can-make-you-stupid/684239/12 "2014-03-21T20:58:39Z")
Yeah, I’m very leery of putting rough estimates for anything on an insurance form, even a government form. I’ve become so paranoid by insurance companies that I’m only half-jokingly sure they’re looking for a reason to deny your claim for lying. “Ah ha! You said that your gout attack lasted from 3/7/1975 until 3/20/1975 when we have proof that it lasted until 3/21/1975!” ---
**Author:** ![emcee2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emcee2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emcee2k)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2014, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-education-can-make-you-stupid/684239/13 "2014-03-21T21:30:38Z")
Well plan B: Was there a number you could call? ---
**Author:** ![pohjonen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pohjonen/32/423_2.png) [@pohjonen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pohjonen)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2014, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-education-can-make-you-stupid/684239/14 "2014-03-21T21:32:24Z")
Well, if we are going to dissect the hairs in my rant, gout doesn’t ever get “resolved.” One can only hold the flares at bay, if they are lucky. And I don’t even remember the YEAR of my first attack, never mind the day or month. ---
**Author:** ![pohjonen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pohjonen/32/423_2.png) [@pohjonen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pohjonen)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2014, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-education-can-make-you-stupid/684239/15 "2014-03-21T21:37:01Z")
> [@emcee2k](#): > > Well plan B: Was there a number you could call? Why would I want to subject myself to that? Apoplexy already runs in my family. I’ll just fill out the damned forms at the doctor’s office. ---
**Author:** ![codyedwardwilliams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bbce88/32.png) [@codyedwardwilliams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/codyedwardwilliams)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2015, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-education-can-make-you-stupid/684239/16 "2015-01-21T02:05:43Z")
online transactions should be well-made and user-friendly. besides, the main reason why they exist is for the convenience of the users and the establishment itself. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2015, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-education-can-make-you-stupid/684239/17 "2015-01-21T03:23:50Z")
Kid–can I call you “kid?” I call everybody younger than me “kid,” which leaves **pohjonen** out, and nobody in my generation is named “Cody” ;)–the “old” man told us ten months ago that apoplexy runs in his family. Some people here get apoplectic over zombie threads and though I don’t know if **pohjonen** is like that, it’s best not to chance it. I’m joking, of course, sort of hazing the newbie. I’ll leave the real hazing to others who will either cut you for making a simple, obviously true statement or disagree with you. We have both kinds. Welcome aboard! ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2015, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-education-can-make-you-stupid/684239/18 "2015-01-21T06:38:54Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Trouble is, you’re not sure what is important. If they want rough estimates, they shouldn’t make the form with boxes for month, day year (4 digits only, please. We wouldn’t want to think you had your first heart attack in 1890!). At the end of a lot of these type of forms there is a place to affirm that the facts are true. Do you want to risk your benefits being cancelled because you put 10 Oct 1995 when it was actually 12 Oct 1995? But just plain Oct 1995 will keep you from advancing in the form. You try do design a form that accepts answers like “after we took a vacation to the beach and before the dog died.” This has nothing to do with education, it has a lot to do with it being a lot easier to manipulate dates rather than random text strings. For Medicare especially no one gives a shit. And it isn’t just government. I sometimes do surveys which ask if I’ve bought something in various categories. It is all fine until they ask me to tell them to the penny how much I paid for that shovel I bought six months ago. I never finish the damn surveys. Now I’ve learned not to start them either. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2015, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-education-can-make-you-stupid/684239/19 "2015-01-21T12:36:04Z")
> [@pohjonen](#): > > First stop - allergies. This should be easy. I am allergic to iodine. But that doesn’t have a drop down box, so I select “Other” and type in “iodine.” The next box wants a name for the allergy. Huh? There are no drop down boxes here. I don’t know the name for an iodine allergy, so I try to skip past that. Can’t. So I type in WTF? but the form won’t accept that. Gotta put in the real name, ya know. [‘Iodine allergy’ label is misleading.](http://www.australianprescriber.com/magazine/32/5/125/8) > [@pohjonen](#): > > Immunizations. That should be easy. I select “Polio” and it wants the exact date and won’t let you progress without it. Ah, I remember it well. It was a Tuesday, October 5, 1959. It was raining. This would seem to be acceptable. (I’d leave out the part about the rain.) > [@pohjonen](#): > > Gout. I check the box. Now it wants the exact date of my first attack and when my gout ended. They aren’t going to deny your application if the dates are off by a few days, (and they are not going to check to see if your dates are accurate). > [@pohjonen](#): > > Family Health History. Surely I can complete this section. Father, born (I Know this date!) Died (I Know this date!) and now a series of boxes to check. There is a box for undescended testicles, but none for stroke (or cerebral hemorrhage), which is what killed my father. And no place to type it in. A cerebral hemorrhage is not genetic, (as far as I have ever heard), so it is not relevant to a family history looking for genetic issues. > [@pohjonen](#): > > Who designs these things anyway??? I don’t know, but I bet you went to college. By asking for specific information, (such as dates), they can do statistical surveys to discover the ages at which various ailments struck and the duration for which they were suffered. Similarly, collecting genetic information on large groups aids in developing treatments. You won’t have to type it in, but when the nurse or clerk fills out your form, she or he will fudge in the dates based on your guesses and will ask follow-up questions to discover just what the phrase “iodine allergy” means in your case. Having the on-line form allows people without your questions to get that paperwork out of the way, shortening the line in which you have to stand to get the form filled out at the office. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2015, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-education-can-make-you-stupid/684239/20 "2015-01-21T14:09:07Z")
I am pissed off at Facebook for first adding my age to my profile (without any input from me, and using the wrong birthdate), and then only allowing me to correct the age to 109.\* \*I’m actually 117, but the form won’t let you input that. Durn educated Facebook nerds. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-education-can-make-you-stupid/684239.md?page=2)