S and I have been getting Penn and Teller's Bullshit from Netflix for the past few weeks, and I have to say, it makes me slightly uncomfortable. Not because I feel like P&T are dubunking all my beliefs, but because I can't believe the idiots they get on this show. I feel uncomfortable watching people talk about how "glacier-like" their 5 dollar bottle of tap water is, just because they think it's from the top of a mountain. People will believe anything--I think that's the message here.
But I think that there are certain people who can watch people making asses of themselves and that's okay, but I just can't. It makes me profoundly uncomfortable. Maybe because I know that whatever is going on is a hoax, that I can't believe that other people don't know it's a hoax.
Actually, I really appreciate what Penn and Teller are doing--debunking things like Feng Shui and Chiropractors--and for the most part agree with them. Penn is a little abrasive, but if you're not easily offended by radical viewpoints, this is definitely entertaining TV. Some shows seem more common-sense than others; I'm pretty sure that I didn't need P&T to tell me that penis pumps and breast enlargement pills don't work. But the show on Nostradamus and prophets was a little more interesting. Not that I believe in prophets, but I just don't know much about them. The current episode we're watching is even slightly more different--about creationism.
I'm not going to talk about creationism. You can probably guess how I feel about it, and how P&T feel about it as well. Still, it will be interesting to see how P&T deal with the topic. I don't feel embarrassed for the people on this episode; yes, they're making asses of themselves, no doubt about it. But in the type of way that makes you shake your head and say, "Whoa. No wonder Bush won the election."
Comments