BullShit!!! Penn & Teller tell it as it is!

Ult_Sm86 · Post by **Ult_Sm86** » Fri Feb 06, 2009 12:36 am

Whether you agree with them or not, Penn & Teller's recent series makes a pretty convincing argument through facts, foul words, and poignant finger pointing.

Here are some examples of their show "Bullshit" which they use as a venue to basically correct America's idiocy.

WARNING:
There will be themes that certain forum members (hell certain people) will NOT agree with. Be respectful. Even if they're not

The "War On Drugs": Part I
The "War On Drugs": Part II
The "War On Drugs": Part III

PETA is Bull Shit Part I
PETA is Bull Shit Part II
PETA is Bull Shit Part III

The Bible is Bull Shit

9/11/01 Conspiracies are Bull Shit

Bull Shit Gun Control Part I
Bull Shit Gun Control Part II
Bull Shit Gun Control Part III

Some of the links as I searched had been removed, if you find this is the case, take the episode theme and search it on Metacafe or that site that shows the last five episodes of every series on television, legally.
To any international members, if the latter suggestion does not work, sorry.

I get what I got, and that's all I got.

No Bull Shit.

Angelique · Post by **Angelique** » Fri Feb 06, 2009 6:12 am

Seen quite a bit of that show and decided I didn't like it any more- not so much because of the topics and views expressed, but their tactics and a some BS of their own presented as "fact." In their episode on New Age stuff, they kind of lumped all alternative medicine together with Sedona vortexes and other genuine nonsense. So drinking chamomile tea to soothe an upset stomach or taking yoga as prescribed physical therapy is BS too? I know a number of mainstream medical practitioners who would disagree with that, and I think I trust their expertise over Penn and Teller's.

Then there was the episode on legalized prostitution, when, in order to make laws against prostitution seem like religious tyranny, they had a "Bible scholar" from Cal Berkeley claim the Bible says sex is bad, which made me want to scream, "All right, Ms. Bible Scholar. Chapter and verse, please, because I must have missed it the first several times I read the Book." Of course, they left it at that, citing no chapter or verse, and expecting us to take their word for it that she was right.

It almost made me want to start my own show, "Cow Patties."

(Ms. Cal Berkeley Bible Scholar was, of course, wrong.)

Anyway, I stopped watching at that point, even the episodes I agreed with, because I was just a bit put off by some of the tactics they used and how some of the information they themselves presented as "fact" turned out also to be...

...Bullshit.

Post by **Elwing** » Fri Feb 06, 2009 12:30 pm

trouble with shows like this is, there is never the time to be nuanced. They can't spare the time to elaborate on their arguments and are therefore stuck in newsbyte factoids. Like Ange said, just because homeopathy is proved to be BS it doesn't mean that all so called "alternative" medicine is bunk.
It's a pity because they have some good arguments there I generally agree with. I don't like the presentation all that much though. Bit too loud and preachy...

Ult_Sm86 · Post by **Ult_Sm86** » Fri Feb 06, 2009 5:35 pm

Elwing wrote:trouble with shows like this is, there is never the time to be nuanced. They can't spare the time to elaborate on their arguments and are therefore stuck in newsbyte factoids. Like Ange said, just because homeopathy is proved to be BS it doesn't mean that all so called "alternative" medicine is bunk.
It's a pity because they have some good arguments there I generally agree with. I don't like the presentation all that much though. Bit too loud and preachy...

LOL they're magicians. All they know how to do is loud and preachy presentations.

Though I agree sometimes it's over the top. The only one I feel was fully convincing was the PETA episode.

Angelique · Post by **Angelique** » Fri Feb 06, 2009 6:01 pm

Ult_Sm86 wrote: LOL they're magicians. All they know how to do is loud and preachy presentations.

Well, to be perfectly fair, Teller doesn't seem very loud or preachy.

Post by **Saint Kurt** » Sat Feb 07, 2009 3:04 am

I really like Penn and Teller, but as cool as they are, I don't like their "Bullsh!t" show.

I wish they'd go back to doing guerilla magic again because the show makes Penn Jillette sound like the next Rush Limbaugh. It's watching people argue on the internet.

-e

(BTW - I was introduced to Teller in high school by my best friend's father who knew him somehow. Off stage he's about as talkative as Penn which, was kind of strange at first. I jumped every time he spoke for about 10 minutes.)

Ult_Sm86 · Post by **Ult_Sm86** » Sat Feb 07, 2009 4:22 am

Teller I hear is a very pleasant man. And I know Penn is because my advisor speaks nothing but good for him. He says the two of them are "the most liberal conservatives I've ever met" which is a hell of a compliment coming from the most socialist of liberals I've ever met (or most social liberator?).

Also, I think their points are *meant* to anger you. The Wal-Mart one made me really re-analyze a lot of the facts of that movie and all day today I sat down with my friends father (who is a manager of a wal-mart)

.... now we're talking about finding me a job.

for really SWEET pay. And benefits by the end of a year.
I'll be honest, it pisses me off they sell crap jewlery and dvd's, putting Campus Video and Johnson's Jewelry out of business. HOWEVER.....

I never got benefits working at Campus Video and never would have. And though I agree certain stores don't run very pleasantly and harm the community more than help it, I see their point with the small-city slums. It WOULD benefit the area.

There's an episode about the prices of Gas. That episode is straight up the best and most accurate one. Why? 'Cuz 20/20 did an episode on Gas too. Same stories. And I trust 20/20...

I learn everything from TV.

Post by **Saint Kurt** » Sat Feb 07, 2009 4:15 pm

I agree about them being great liberal conservatives. If you were to dissect my politics you'd see that they are almost identical to Penn and Teller's. (liberal as in free speech, free press, freedom to be stupid and conservative as in I'm really more of a republican as in small government with a focus on secular infrastructure rather than spending programs)

It's a long story but I knew them for a few years (in the late 80's when they were still just magic guys) and we got along great. Let's just say that if you've ever listened to my long "let's get out of everyone's way so we can live and let live" pontifications in chat - that's exactly what they are like in person only much much louder.

That's why I don't like the show. What they have to say is valid and important. The way they say it on the show and the shoddy research they often do makes it easy to dissmiss them as a bunch of ignorant asshats with as much clout as a bunch of internet trolls. And sometimes I think they miss the point entirely (the "obesity epidemic" show is a good example. They make good points that medicine's weight parameters are not appropriate for everyone, that the media's reactionary reporting is largly hype, and that "epidemic" is not the correct term. Good on them. There are still some serious health and lifestyle issues in this country.)

I liked Penn Jillette's column in PC Magazine in the 90's much better.

Ult_Sm86 wrote:I learn everything from TV.

I don't know if that's a good thing.

TV has some interesting stuff but ... having only started watching shows in my mid-30's after growing up without a TV and not bothering with it for my 20's I'd say that the only thing I've learned from TV is that it's like having a guy sitting in your living room telling little white lies all evening.

I like some TV shows but ... I learn everything from life. Television is bullsh!t.

-e

The Drastic Spastic · Thu Feb 12, 2009 12:42 pm

Man, I love TV. Never watched this show though. It sounds annoying.

JokeDeity · Post by **JokeDeity** » Thu Jun 04, 2009 6:58 pm

Before I get the b&hammer, I'd just like to throw in that P&T are absofuckinglutely amazing. Seen most episodes of Bullshit! and subscribed to Pennsays on Youtube. They're both geniuses.

The Drastic Spastic · Post by **The Drastic Spastic** » Fri Jun 05, 2009 1:19 am

Now I'm curious about what that guy's 4 other posts were.

Post by **HoodedMan** » Fri Jun 05, 2009 2:33 am

Well, then search them out.

The Drastic Spastic · Post by **The Drastic Spastic** » Fri Jun 05, 2009 8:41 am

I tried. His post history only has one post. (That one.)

Post by **Saint Kurt** » Fri Jun 05, 2009 10:46 am

This is because their threads all consisted of posts calling the moderators bad names. So they were moved.

Apparently, the subject of Penn & Teller is the only one in which JokeDiety could engage in civilized discussion. I like Penn & Teller too, but ... Oh well. Too bad. So sad. Buh-bye.

-e

Post by **HoodedMan** » Fri Jun 05, 2009 1:13 pm

Ah, I didn't realize JokeDeity's religion thread got moved entirely.

Bad names is a bit of an understatement, and sending obscene U2Us to participants in his thread wasn't quite endearing either. :p

[Edited on 6/5/09 by HoodedMan]

Angelique · Post by **Angelique** » Sat Jun 06, 2009 4:30 am

And I never participated in any of his threads, either, so I guess the guy thinks anyone's fair game.

Ult_Sm86 · Post by **Ult_Sm86** » Sat Jun 06, 2009 4:36 am

So yeah, being the topic is Penn & Teller, not moron banned trolls...

I haven't had a chance to see any more episodes of this show being I don't have ShowTime and they went nuts on Youtube deleting all the episodes.

Though I'm told the next season was great. One episode was about the Bull Shit of WWII Movies.