Does literacy matter?

Discussion in 'Psychology' started by nutmeg, Feb 23, 2007.


  1. There are many things that empower traders.

    It is also true that the path of the trader to empowerment has a lot of pitfalls in terms of how he choses to aquire what he needs.

    Two major mistaken forks in the road deal with literacy and recovery from wrong paths taken.

    Many people express how they got to profitability, often from a loser prior situation. Rarely does reading (where literacy means acquired knowledge of a field) affect the cure for making the transition from losing to winning.

    Literacy more often comes into the picture when a person is moving from the learner to the mentor stage of a trading life. It is very important to know and understand where others are coming from in their "struggle" if a person is going to be helpful.

    Literacy creates a spectrum of possibilities and, in turn, the basis for conclusing the utility of given substantive content about the markets.

    Most people do not or never get to see the markets. It is best experienced directly and literacy is not a requirement in the well read sense of literacy.

    Harris type doumentation can give you the vocabulary and a view through a regulator/academic's eyes. What can be read to experience the markets or trading for that matter?

    If the media is the message, then reading what is written is not a source to get the meesage of the markets or the message of trading in markets.

    THE way to learn is something that is definitely and clearly definable. It has nothing to do with books or reading them. If a person thinks it does, then he has to continue to do that until he finds out it is otherwise.

    Finally, I am writing four books and later a fifth. They will never be anything but excellent references to the real thing.

    Transference of empowerment of excellence in trading is not a literacy issue. It would be a great thing if there were a place in ET to get on the table just what is required for empowerment.
     
    #11     Feb 23, 2007
  2. Yes, we just draw our charts in the sand. :D
     
    #12     Feb 23, 2007
  3. Even better! No numbers, just direction!
     
    #13     Feb 23, 2007
  4. Jack, the unwashed illiterati of ET do not need to be EMPOWERED, they need to be able to SEE. The daily chart of $DJX is an example. Since 7/24/06 the simplest possible trend following rule has screamed LONG. Intraday charts are almost as simple to interpret. That they cannot SEE is evident from the fact that they constantly bleat beggingly here to be given a system. The more complicated, the better. As an part-time index futures trader, I applaud the fact that you have given them one which admirably meets their specifications. God bless liquidity.
     
    #14     Feb 23, 2007
  5. Jack,
    Thanks for the reply. Printed your response and have to think about this.
     
    #15     Feb 23, 2007
  6. My pleasure for sure.
     
    #16     Feb 23, 2007
  7. <i>"look at the average earnings differences between high school dropouts, post graduates, etc.... of course you have to be literate to do that."</i>

    I am a high school dropout. Went from pending class valedictorian right to out on my a** in the street midway thru 11th grade, courtesy of several very poor teenaged decisions.

    No problem with literacy, but what I missed out on from higher education set me back financially at least two decades, not to mention a more well-rounded viewpoint of the world, also.

    The good news is, financial ends are meeting just fine these days. The bad news is it took too long with too much pain along the way to get here.

    Reading & comprehension skills are the base of all further education. What scares me the most about our future generations is lack of literacy. I have the pleasure of watching teens growing up all around me. Many are bright, witty and highly intelligent. Wizards at modern technology.

    Spelling, grammar and word comprehension? Barely 5th grade level, in most cases.

    Frightening for them!
     
    #17     Feb 23, 2007
  8. duard

    duard

    The good news for you is that males with anti-social personality disorder who live until they're 40 yo without appreciable prison time tend to do quite well.

    As far as college is concerned you missed out on some great parties and highly concentrated prime poontang but not much else you couldn't get from reading and on the job training.
     
    #18     Feb 23, 2007
  9. ==============
    Reading may also help insure ones chart is right side up;
    so yes. And this isnt an ad for ignorance but many high achievers dropped out of school , like Bill Gates.

    Agree on the lottery ticket;
    its a tax on people who cant do math:p

    Actually lack of literacy affects us all;
    newer John Deere tractors dont have fast /slow speed control , they have rabbit picture/turtle picture :D
     
    #19     Feb 23, 2007
  10. <i>"The good news for you is that males with anti-social personality disorder who live until they're 40 yo without appreciable prison time tend to do quite well."</i>

    At 42+, that means I'm good (laugh)
     
    #20     Feb 23, 2007