Penn & Teller compare the "green" industry to the Indulgences sold by the Catholic Church during the Middle Ages to pay the church for any transgressions. Today, it's private enterprise making money from your environmental guilt. Have you sinned against the environment today? Give us some money and we'll plant some trees.
And in the "New Age Medicine" episode, the duo go to great lengths to show the "quackery" of some of today's New Age health professionals. Through the use of crystals, tuning forks, and acupuncture needles, you see charlatans or true believers (take your pick) applying questionable techniques and tools to cure what ails a patient. To prove just how gullible some people are, Penn & Teller even go so far as to use a plunger and a kazoo to "heal" patients in their own temporary clinic. It worked just as well as the other methods!
As P.T. Barnum is often quoted as saying, "There's a sucker born every minute." And so long as people are gullible, there will be people around to take advantage.
However not all of the Bulls**t! episodes focus on debunking the pseudo-sciences, and the "NASA" episode is a good example. The duo argue that private industry might be better suited to finance NASA instead of taxpayer money, which I tend to agree with. Virgin Galactic is one of the firms taking advantage of this new phase of the space race. With tickets starting at $200,000 for a sub-orbital flight, Richard Branson, the leader of Virgin, will make even more money than he is now.
This two-DVD set includes all ten episodes from season six and includes a biography of Penn & Teller's work together.
Penn & Teller are extremely intelligent, talented, and funny people. And it's quite obvious that when they set about tearing down an idea they do an amazing job. Just be prepared for some colorful language and gratuitous nudity!
If you're interested in seeing more of Penn & Teller Bulls**t!, I'd urge you to check out the two-DVD set for season 6. Penn and Teller Bulls**t!: The Complete Sixth Season is available now at your favorite brick and mortar and online retailer.
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