well, I think the truth (whatever that means in trading) is in between.
yes you can tape read them (a bit), but it is pointless because any 'reading' is likely to lag the tracked index or futures. And if there is one thing you don't know, is lag what the others know already.
tape reading is not the holy grail you know. it's just a tool. a good one. but just a tool.
tntneo