Delaware Is Closed Today | The Probabilist . com

Delaware Is Closed Today November 13, 2006

Posted by The Probabilist in : [Articles], Communication, Entertainment, Society, Psychology, Investing, History , trackback

There was a funny and intriguing example of human behaviour in a book I’m currently reading. Apparently, in 1963 the well-known TV show Candid Camera decided to test the power of authority and the written word. The prank involved setting up a big sign on the boarder of Pennsylvania and Delaware saying that “Delaware is closed today”. Next to it was a table with a few respectable looking men wearing suits and ties whose job was to tell people that Delaware is under repair, they don’t know the specifics and that the motorists should try again the next day.

Well, many drivers simply drove on without questioning the sign, but some did. They talked with the men what this was about and decided to turn around. Some even turned around promptly just by seeing the combination of the sign and the “authoritative figures” sitting at the table. One driver faintly asked if Jersey is still open. I hope the rest of them didn’t worry too much about how granny was doing over in Delaware.

Ok, so what’s the lesson of the story? Whenever you sign a contract, negotiate a deal or are told to comply to spoken or written word which you don’t fully comprehend, make sure that you do before you take action. Don’t let an “expert” sway you with grand words, professional jargon or authoritative, bureaucratic policy statements if they don’t make sense to you. On the flip side, don’t use these methods yourself either when there’s a good chance they will only make a person sceptical or confused.

Take for instance your personal finances. The more people you tell that you have extra cash to invest, the more investment vehicles you’ll encounter and everyone will have their truly best opinion on what you should go for. Now I’m not saying most of them are automatically bad advices, but a description of a car isn’t quite the same as driving one. It’s especially tricky when suddenly there are tens or hundreds of signs saying “This is open today” or That is closed today” and you don’t even know who put them there in the first place - or to whose benefit.

So keep your eyes open for the road signs, educate yourself on understanding which ones fly sky high when a storm is brewing and find out who stands behind productive, honest and stable advices that fit your requirements.