Bullshit!

Penn & Teller: Bullshit! (2003-) is a Showtime Channel TV program shown in the United States, hosted by professional magicians/comedians Penn Jillette and Teller. The aim of the show is to expose ideas they believe to be unscientific or pseudoscientific through critical thinking and scientific skepticism, and to expose promoters of such things — especially those with ulterior motives (primarily financial exploitation). They also base some shows around a political issue, such as the War on Drugs and Gun Control, promoting and justifying their stance with historical and statistical evidence. The show is influenced by performers such as James Randi and Harry Houdini, who are similarly known for debunking claims of supernatural powers http://www.riverdeep.net/current/2000/11/112900_magic.jhtml. It is stylistically similar to Penn and Teller's established magical act, which involves revealing the mechanisms behind their own illusions while simultaneously debunking professional magicians who claim to possess supernatural abilities.

Related Topics:
2003 - Showtime - United States - Magician - Comedian - Penn Jillette and Teller - Pseudoscientific - Critical thinking - Scientific skepticism - War on Drugs - Gun Control - James Randi - Harry Houdini - Supernatural

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The show openly reflects the atheist libertarian stance of the presenters, and inherits their characteristically blunt, often aggressive style. Since their act is not normally associated with a frequent use of profanity, Jilette explains this necessity in the opening episode: 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 ostensibly expresses an opinion rather than a statement of fact and is legally safer for them. The show's name, Bullshit! reflects this approach. Some see this as a gratuitously confrontational attitude and others see it as an ironic comment on the overly-litigious nature of the US.

Related Topics:
Atheist - Libertarian - Fraud - Liars - Sue - Libel - Asshole - Motherfucker - Bullshit - Ironic

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