Yeah R1 you do have to wonder about how much instantaneous communication magnifies the natural human condition -- or even defines every longstanding depravity. We are getting used to relying on immediate reaction and/or confirmation of our beliefs. Some politicians - already known for their verbal incontinence - love it and some are using it in a way that might come back to bite us. They should know better. They exploit the luxuries of an age made possible by those who practiced economy of words and actions; even as they were removing themselves from the harshness of the natural world, these people saw virtue in careful expression. There really is no excuse; there is a history of bad and good actors there for all to observe in the virtual libraries at our fingertips. There are - or were - many who thought before they spoke or acted.
A similar thing happens in trading when so many are given a platform previously unknown. Someone who understood the finer points of global communication once told me that communication should be free. He was no communist, I assure you. He grew up in a time when the internet was unimaginable to most outside his particular vocation. I'm starting to wonder if he’d think that now. The obvious benefits to this lightning fast discourse are sometimes interrupted when the power to communicate gets misused with obvious consequences for the collective nervous system. The fallout is nothing new, mind you; even the ancients knew how to start, stop and win battles through less than honest communication.
Does poor self-control perpetuate itself in the presence of instant gratification? Do we become reckless with virtually unlimited self-expression and access to more information - and opinions - than a mind can process? Maybe this sounds like a non-problem but I reckon some experienced traders might say yes.
It is what it is, they say. We got what we wanted. It was inevitable that humans would someday be able to take all that we have for granted -- and foreseeable that people would misuse it. At least the coders who harness the melee are enjoying it. The rest of us are going to have to hire people like Sci to make systems and hope everyone else learns some self-control until we can afford his custom work.
We can’t do that with political life…though some are trying very hard to make that happen too. Then and only then will we create a virtual morality where the words and actions of leaders are simply recorded and spit out for consumption; all in binary fashion without all of the pesky emotional residue. Not sure who will embrace that dystopia but I’ll settle for old fashioned mudslinging for now and adhere to the old adage that we deserve the pols we get.
As for the opening salvo in this thread, I appreciate it and think of it as lighthearted comic relief for all of the above.
(20min delay)