I'm a huge fan of the show, and I usually am sympathetic to the show's viewpoint (obviously), but I recently saw their episode on Martial arts and, well, it just didn't seem up to their usual standards.
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Just wondering, anybody else think a particular episode of bullshit is bullshit? =P
I really didn't like their gun control episode. While I agree with their stance, they didn't do a very good job defending their position, and it easily should have been a knock-it-out-of-the-park episode like their War on Drugs episode.
I thought their fast food episode could have been better.
I would have LOVED to see Penn & Teller take a swing at Morgan Spurlock's "Super Size Me".
Granted, I do understand it's only a 20 something show, and it would probably take an entire series to address all the claims made in that movie...
Quote from: surhotchaperchlorome on August 17, 2010, 10:03:14 PM
I thought their fast food episode could have been better.
I would have LOVED to see Penn & Teller take a swing at Morgan Spurlock's "Super Size Me".
Granted, I do understand it's only a 20 something show, and it would probably take an entire series to address all the claims made in that movie...
That's kinda the way I feel about the martial arts episode. Believe it or not, I only really disagreed with certain specific claims, usually concerning the details, and the way it felt like they were directing their criticisms at the whole of martial arts. There is bullshit in martial arts. ALOT of bullshit. However, the show seemed to pass over it. It feels like it was made too quickly and without a whole lot of research. Give me their resources, and I personally could have probably put together a better episode on martial arts.
Although, granted, that tai chi lady was quite wacky, and actually reminded me of my first run in with martial arts bullshit. My first tai chi teacher was a wackjob who thought that you could 'feel your chi' by taking specific stances, that the move 'snake creeps low' was deadly in a fight, and that years of tai chi practice could allow you to develop telepathy. That experience taught me to be really careful about who I take martial arts from. =P
Executive meddling is my suspicion.
Or that Penn and Teller are tired of the show and want to create a reason to stop it.
Or some of collumm A and some of collumm B and all of collumm C!
The one on love was really flaky IMO. Sorry but I really find a married man writing a book called "the Myth of Monogamy" really hard to swallow. And their rational is ridiculous. Just cause animals aren't big on monogamy doesn't mean we should follow the example. And their claim that there's only two animals who mate for life is complete nonsense. Off the top of my head, I know that wolves and geese mate for life and there's many others, even if you don't include insects who are only capable of mating once in their lives.
Quote from: Lord T Hawkeye on August 24, 2010, 01:40:25 PMJust cause animals aren't big on monogamy doesn't mean we should follow the example.
That's true.
I once read an article saying that adult chimps eat baby chimps at times ( http://www.cracked.com/article_16762_the-6-biggest-assholes-in-animal-kingdom_p2.html gotta love Cracked.com ...)
Granted, that doesn't mean that polyamorous or polygamous relationships are necessarily bad.
It does mean that the argument Penn & Teller used was kind of lame.
The endangered species episode wasn't very good, they raised some valid points, but at the end of the day it seemed as if they were just left wing bashing for the fun of it.
The Old People episode, where the only "Anti" person was fucking Maddox was just stupid.
Quote from: Gumba Masta on August 18, 2010, 12:45:37 PM
Executive meddling is my suspicion.
Or that Penn and Teller are tired of the show and want to create a reason to stop it.
Or some of collumm A and some of collumm B and all of collumm C!
Since Penn & Teller quietly let the show die after last season I think it was quite a bit of column B
Quote from: MrBogosity on August 17, 2010, 06:43:57 PM
I really didn't like their gun control episode. While I agree with their stance, they didn't do a very good job defending their position, and it easily should have been a knock-it-out-of-the-park episode like their War on Drugs episode.
Actually, their gun control episode is what got my to change my mind on the issue in the first place. I think it serves its purpose in that regard and those who want to learn more can do research on it.
I thought their illegal immigration episode was kind of weak. It was pretty much "YOU'RE RACIST." I have changed my stance on illegal immigration since then, but that episode surely didn't convince me at the time.
BTW, their new show is going to be Penn & Teller: Tell A Lie on the Discovery Channel.
Yeah, I'm kind of "eh" towards that. I would like to see a US version of Fool Us.
If they can get acts like this one I'm all for it.
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That is pretty awesome, a hint of Andy Kaufman in there
I liked Piff!
Hell, even if the trick didn't fool them, they should have gave him something for it. Give that man a time slot on television dammit!
They say all of the ones who appear on that show get booked solid afterwards.
Yeah, wouldn't surprise me if he (and other acts they liked) opens for them at some point anyway.