Bullshit!
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Penn & Teller: Bullshit! (2003-) is a Showtime Channel TV program shown in the United States, hosted by professional magicians Penn Jillette and Teller. The aim of the show is to expose unscientific or pseudoscientific ideas by scientific skepticism, and to expose promotors of such who make money out of them.
In the first episode, Penn explains that if they referred to people as frauds or liars, they could be sued for libel even in the face of overwhelming evidence of chicanery, but referring to them as assholes or motherfuckers (which express an opinion rather than a statement of fact) is legally safer. The show's name, Bullshit! reflects this approach.
The show reflects the atheist libertarian stance of the presenters, and inherits their characteristically explicit, often aggressive, style. Contributors are often introduced with voice-overs like "look at this asshole!". In "PETA", they responded to a campaign comparing the slaughter of animals with the Holocaust by cutting between shots of PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk and Hitler. (Penn: "Cheap shot? Well, you bet it is.") The show also makes frequent use of swearing and occasional explicit sexual references.
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Show format
Each episode, Penn & Teller choose one or two subjects and proceed to systematically undermine them, using a variety of methods:
- Proponents of bullshit, in heavily edited interviews, try to make their case. However, they often end up looking stupid or providing evidence to defeat their own arguments. For example, in "Safety Hysteria" a manufacturer of 'radiation guards' for mobile phones admits that there is no proven link between phone radiation and brain cancer, but assures viewers that you can't be too safe. He also says his background is in advertising, not medical science or engineering. The unspoken (and thus legally safe) conclusion is that he knows his product is useless, but uses marketing techniques to rip off an uninformed public.
- Opponents, sometimes experts or authorities in the subject, are interviewed and flatly contradict the bullshit that's being claimed.
- Penn & Teller make use of speakers from the Center for Inquiry Transnational and James Randi Educational Foundation.
- Penn & Teller conduct informal, and admittedly not very scientific, experiments. For example, in "Bottled Water" diners are asked to choose between genuine bottled water and similarly-packaged tap water; most diners preferred the tap water in this pseudo-blind test.
- The subject matter is ridiculed through stunts performed on-set or through stock footage. The approach here seems to complement reasoned argument with straightforward ridicule.
- Penn & Teller often close with an impassioned ethical plea against the subject matter near the end of the show as to why this strain of bullshit is harmful and should be resisted. The presenters distinguish between charlatans and believers (often saying that they would like to believe also) and then direct anger at the charlatans and compassion at the merely hoodwinked.
Episode list
Season 1 (2003)
- Talking to the Dead
- Alternative Medicine
- Alien Abductions
- End of the World
- Second Hand Smoke / Baby Bullshit (educational products for babies)
- Sex, Sex, Sex
- Feng Shui / Bottled Water
- Creationism
- Self-Helpless
- ESP
- Eat This! (Dieting / Genetically modified food hysteria)
- Ouija Boards / Near-death Experiences
- Environmental Hysteria
Season 2 (2004)
- P.E.T.A.
- Safety Hysteria
- The Business Of Love
- War On Drugs
- Recycling
- The Bible
- Yoga, Tantric Sex, Etc.
- Fountain of Youth (Life extension / Cosmetic surgery)
- Death, Inc.
- Profanity
- 12-Stepping
- Exercise vs. Genetics
- Hypnosis
Criticism of the show
Critics complain that Penn and Teller's political and personal beliefs get in the way of making an objective case. Instead of seriously considering the arguments of their targets, they simply assume that they're bullshit from the beginning and then spend the show making them look stupid. While this may be appropriate for issues where the connections to reality are tenuous (like talking to the dead), some critics say that their technique is unsuitable for murky or controversial issues (like recycling and the environment). They can also be overly confrontational, brutally attacking and ridiculing people who may be well-intentioned.
Critics also feel it tends to weaken the force of the show's argument, since it seems they're not getting the whole story, but instead a heavily biased view of the topic. Some episodes feature radio talk show hosts making factual or scientific claims. Others feature experts from politically-motivated organizations like the Cato Institute. The use of such sources, regardless of the truth of their factual claims, might contribute to the perception of the show as biased.
External links
- Official web site (can only be accessed from within the United States)
- Article on Slate
- Episode guide
