Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

We do things that we know won’t work. I don’t understand why.

We do things that we know won’t work. Some examples:

The Polygraph: This machine (the lie-detector machine) doesn’t work. People have beat it for decades. That is why polygraph results are not admissible in court. Still, lots of government and business organizations use the polygraph.

Internet Filters: These are meant to keep people, like those on airplanes, from viewing objectionable material. They don’t work. People take pride in breaking through the filters during the first hour they are used. Yet, lots of people still use Internet filters in libraries, airplanes, restaurants, and such.

Computer Voting Machines: I have voted in several elections where the machines were running Microsoft Windows. Uh, er, I think people have punched security holes in that operating system for years. Still, some people “guarantee” that everything is secure and no one can tamper with the votes.

Secure Online Databases: These aren’t secure. People are involved and people make mistakes. I have lots track of how many times a person has lost a copy of a secure database. Millions of credit card numbers are lost; millions of bank account numbers are lost; millions of health care records are lost.

I could continue with the examples. I don’t know the answer here. Why do we continue to use things that we know don’t work. I could be cynical and claim that someone is out to make money, so they lie about something to make a sale. Maybe people are ignorant, i.e., they don’t know that something has been proven to not work. Maybe there is something happening that hasn’t occurred. to me. Still, it continues.

Perhaps it is an integral part of the human condition.