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by 9rx 564 days ago
> that illustrates practical necessity of reading comprehension for the average person

Does it? In practice, the average person, even the above average person, hell, even the greatest minds, will typically seek the services of a lawyer when buying land exactly because they lack the comprehension necessary to avoid the tale you tell. And once you are outsourcing comprehension, literacy doesn't really buy you anything.
2 comments
vundercind 564 days ago
> will typically seek the services of a lawyer when buying land

I've seen a state where this is required by law, and I've seen a state where it wasn't. Very few people retained a lawyer when buying or selling land, in the latter.

I've bought property in both, and my state-required redistributional tax paid to a lawyer added zero to my confidence level. The extra middleman actually made me a tad more wary.

(I take your broader point, but reject the idea that lawyers are an especially useful element of a normal real estate transaction, for most people, at least in the US—I mean, on some level a lawyer drafted some form-documents and maybe some institution involved had a lawyer quickly glance at something at some point even in the rarely-using-lawyers state, but as a buyer or seller, directly interacting with a lawyer? IDK, maybe if you're involved in a FSBO transaction with no agents involved and also no financing)

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redundantly 564 days ago
> The average person, even the above average person

So, people who are likely to be literate will seek out assistance when they realise they don't understand something? One might wonder if their literacy has anything to do with that...

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9rx 564 days ago
Those who are illiterate, at least of those who could become literate, realize they don't understand something right from the get-go. It turns out they also typically seek the services of lawyers when buying land for the same reasons.
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redundantly 564 days ago
That’s a pretty rosy view of the world. If that were true, the 2008 housing crisis wouldn’t have been nearly as bad.

People get taken advantage of all the time because they don’t understand what they’re signing—and society’s conditioned us to agree to whatever’s put in front of us, from cell phone contracts to software usage to major investments.

Plus, lawyers aren’t everywhere, and they’re not cheap. Most people can’t afford to just hire one whenever they need help.

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9rx 564 days ago
> the 2008 housing crisis wouldn’t have been nearly as bad.

I'm not sure I agree. Lawyers aren't rulers, only advisers. They can give you a perfect understanding of the situation, and if you are caught in a fear of missing out state, which was certainly the case for many leading up to that timeframe, it is likely you'll ignore their advice anyway.

In fact, many US states legally require lawyer advisory before completing a real estate transaction. Those states certainly did not avoid the real estate bubble.

> People get taken advantage of all the time because they don’t understand what they’re signing

Absolutely. Being able to comprehend every situation is straight up impossible. Not even the greatest minds of our time are able to do that. Not even lawyers themselves, whose job is to comprehend written text, are able to comprehend every situation. They focus on narrow specialities for good reason.

There is no avoiding that situation. If someone wants to take advantage of you, they'll find a way.

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