Bullshit
I'm really looking forward to this, the problem with competing with the bullshit artists has always been that TV trys to entertain, and debunking wasn't entertaining. This may finally be an approach that will work.
NEW YORK, Dec. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- On January 24 at 11:00 PM ET/PT SHOWTIME
will present the controversial new series PENN & TELLER: BULLSHIT! Master
showmen Penn & Teller promise an aggressive, irreverent expose of taboo topics
using the duo's trademark humor, knowledge of carnival tricks and
con-artistry, as well as hidden cameras and blatant confrontation. Each of
the 13 half-hour episodes includes interviews and undercover segments
intertwined with elements of Penn & Teller's non-traditional comedy routines.
Penn & Teller, self-proclaimed pit-bulls of truth, set out to prove that
many of the institutions society holds dear are bogus and designed to profit
from the desperate and trusting public. Penn & Teller: Bullshit!, from its
very title to its startling content, is designed to shock and surprise as it
exposes the truth behind such sacred cows as chiropractic medicine, TV
psychics, Feng Shui and second-hand smoke. Using undercover operatives,
scrupulous research and a healthy dose of skepticism, the Vegas headliners and
world-famous magicians blow the lid off popular notions about alien
abductions, Ouija boards and end of the world predictions. They expose the
bogus science behind such widely accepted canards as creationism, the purity
of bottled water, global warming, miracle-workers and religious cults. Just
as you begin to laugh at what other people are willing to fork over hard
earned money for, Penn & Teller will show you that you are just as gullible --
so don't blame the victim, blame the bullshit artists!
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Comments
Yup and they will be handing out their own version of bullshit. same stuff different agenda different purveyors.
Posted by: The Dynamic Driveler | December 18, 2002 11:28 PM
I think I'll reserve my judgment until I see it. It has promise in my opinion, but the truth is in the telling.
Posted by: Norm | December 18, 2002 11:37 PM
P&T are straight shooters when it comes to this stuff. If anyone can do a show like this properly, they can.
Posted by: Scott | December 19, 2002 6:34 AM
I also love Penn and Teller--if anyone can do this well, it's them. On the other hand, I have some expperience with the "debunking" biz--I workied in DC for a think tank that dealt with science and politics, and there are debunkers on both sides of many debates--including people I worked with. The article mentioned global warming, and second hand smoke--these are two areas where some people are eager to hear that some 'widely held opinion' is really just ideological bunk. Once you think that your opponent is just an oil company crony or a wacko environmentalist, you're willing to accept a "debunking" on very thin evidence. Commonplace exchange: "Oh no, second hand smoke is bad." "No, it's not--that's just a myth." "Really?" "Yeah I heard it just the other day, its total B.S." "Wow--I didn't know that."
It's much easier to get heard and believed if you bill yourself as a debunker of myths than if you do serious, complicated, boring research and enter the debate like any other researcher.
But I still want to see the show.
Posted by: dende blogger | December 20, 2002 10:18 PM