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Monetizing Stupid

contemporaryidiot.com

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Re: Monetizing Stupid

#11

Post by lern_too_spel »

dcow wrote: post #7

I find the author slightly annoying insofar as they think you can study markets scientifically and thus applying astrology to market behavior is idiotic. For all we know Elon times his tweets to key horoscope events and the market actually does invert every time mercury is in retrograde (which the data/history seem to support). If we were talking about trying build a bridge or something I’d be a lot more receptive to…

The author's point seems to be that applying astrology to any decisions (not markets in particular) is stupid, speculating on crypto is stupid, and combining the two will give you an audience of especially stupid people who are willing to part with their money.

Re: Monetizing Stupid

#13

Post by lern_too_spel »

dcow wrote: post #8
3princip wrote: post #6

What a mean and immature article. The "influencer" is stupid (and a psychopath apparently), everyone is stupid, well everyone except the author of the text. It does read like someone very young wrote it, I guess the author is young enough to know everything.

Totally agree. I came off the reading wondering how young the author is. The essay is quite immature.

The author is telling you how to make money. There is nothing immature about making money.

There is an interesting tangential public policy issue about how to limit societal damage from people taking advantage of others, but that is not the point of the article.

Re: Monetizing Stupid

#15

Post by Cerealkiller050 »

exolymph wrote: post #5

The topic is interesting but this smarmy "I'm so smart" style drives me up a wall. You consider yourself superior to people who believe in astrology, we get it. Focus on the point

"consider yourself superior to people who believe in astrology"

I mean...at some point a spade HAS to be a spade for this type of thing

Re: Monetizing Stupid

#16

Post by DoreenMichele »

I will note that if you tell people "The market of a thing essentially entirely controlled by human behavior will do X in response to highly predictable events, like new moons" is potentially self fulfilling prophecy. If large numbers of people believe that and act in response to that prediction, it can cause dips (or whatever).

For that and other reasons, this really isn't HN worthy.

Re: Monetizing Stupid

#17

Post by SahAssar »

dcow wrote: post #7

I find the author slightly annoying insofar as they think you can study markets scientifically and thus applying astrology to market behavior is idiotic. For all we know Elon times his tweets to key horoscope events and the market actually does invert every time mercury is in retrograde (which the data/history seem to support). If we were talking about trying build a bridge or something I’d be a lot more receptive to…

> For all we know Elon times his tweets to key horoscope events

That does not make it any less or more wrong. If someone takes actions to make the stock market fit horoscopes that does not make the horoscopes better or worse at predicting those actions.

Re: Monetizing Stupid

#18

Post by dcow »

lern_too_spel wrote: post #11
dcow wrote: post #7

I find the author slightly annoying insofar as they think you can study markets scientifically and thus applying astrology to market behavior is idiotic. For all we know Elon times his tweets to key horoscope events and the market actually does invert every time mercury is in retrograde (which the data/history seem to support). If we were talking about trying build a bridge or something I’d be a lot more receptive to…

The author's point seems to be that applying astrology to any decisions (not markets in particular) is stupid, speculating on crypto is stupid, and combining the two will give you an audience of especially stupid people who are willing to part with their money.

Markets are human things. If a non-zero subset of humans turn to astrology (as Maren's 1MM+ followers might suggest), even if only partially, when making any decision, wouldn't it be reasonable and quite rational to think that the market might actually move in relation to astrology events if enough of these "stupid" people are participating? Wouldn't that be the "smart" conclusion?

Re: Monetizing Stupid

#19

Post by marvindanig »

noslenwerdna wrote: post #14
exolymph wrote: post #5

The topic is interesting but this smarmy "I'm so smart" style drives me up a wall. You consider yourself superior to people who believe in astrology, we get it. Focus on the point

I mean, astrology is widely known to be nonsense.

True, but you'll be surprised at how many people want astrology and stuff like crystals and scented stones and magical beans across the United States. It's huge and truly a contest between literacy and the belief system.

Re: Monetizing Stupid

#20

Post by wombatmobile »

English physicist and mathematician Isaac Newton produced many works that would now be classified as occult studies. These works explored chronology, alchemy, and Biblical interpretation (especially of the Apocalypse). Newton's scientific work may have been of lesser personal importance to him, as he placed emphasis on rediscovering the occult wisdom of the ancients. In this sense, some historians, including economist John Maynard Keynes, believe that any reference to a "Newtonian Worldview" as being purely mechanical in nature is somewhat inaccurate.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Newton%27s_occult_studie...

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