Penn and Teller: BS

jp58 · #1 01-24-2011, 02:04 AM

Does anyone here watch their show on a regular basis?

Big B. · #2 01-24-2011, 02:21 AM

One of my favorite shows on television. They are like the South Park of live action. Willing to take on everyone equally.

Bocete · #3 01-24-2011, 06:17 AM

I am a great fan of the first two seasons - almost every episode is memorable and I still urge people to watch them. Stopped watching during the fifth though, iirc they slowly started bashing less and less interesting issues after the second season.

Unrepresented · #4 01-24-2011, 09:07 AM

Only have seen one episode (recycling) and it turned me off from them.

C.Linton · #5 01-24-2011, 09:49 AM

I enjoyed what I saw on Netflix, especially when they said that they themselves were as full of BS as anyone else, and you shouldn't believe everything they say at face value either. I just like the overall theme that you shouldn't always just automatically buy into everything people claim about stuff. Pretty much the show was all about critical thinking and how so few seem to practice it.

Gard · #6 01-24-2011, 10:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unrepresented

Only have seen one episode (recycling) and it turned me off from them.

Why, because you disagreed with their very valid points?

Bocete · #7 01-24-2011, 10:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unrepresented

Only have seen one episode (recycling) and it turned me off from them.

Yes, that episode is... bitter. I've talked with a 2 PhD chemist about it, and objectively, they proved nothing in that show. However, not much about recycling is objectively known, he says; pro-recycling papers are much easier to publish; while those that criticize it simply cannot, with very rare exceptions. And, if you recall, in the previous years, many instances were uncovered of scientists deliberately picking and choosing data to show most pro-recycling results, even when data is inconclusive or flawed in some other way.

Even though that show proved nothing, it did make me reconsider what I've been told to believe, and they have shown how easy it is to make people earn you money if you make them believe it's for a good cause.

What I believe about recycling, I don't know, but it's not hard to do, so whatever... There are both valid points and agenda driven points on both sides, so I am not convinced either way. That doesn't matter; what matters is, like C.Linton above said, critical thinking.

MatticusMania · #8 01-24-2011, 10:22 AM

All I knows is, I took my recyclables in yesterday and walked away with $20 I didnt have otherwise.

Gard · #9 01-24-2011, 10:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MatticusMania

All I knows is, I took my recyclables in yesterday and walked away with $20 I didnt have otherwise.

So this proves that the recycling provider got hoodwinked too.

Look I'm all for recycling whenever possible, and I DO so. However, the economic realities of recycling are not as good as we're being told....

hbarcat · #10 01-24-2011, 10:33 AM

I'm a big fan. Just keep in mind that the show isn't to be taken too seriously (in spite of the bombastic attitude and pervasive vulgarity and anger). Penn and Teller don't claim the show is supposed to be objective and unbiased - it's just their point of view presented in their own particular style.

The gratuitous T and A is always welcome, though.

Gard · #11 01-24-2011, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hbarcat

I'm a big fan. Just keep in mind that the show isn't to be taken too seriously (in spite of the bombastic attitude and pervasive vulgarity and anger). Penn and Teller don't claim the show is supposed to be objective and unbiased - it's just their point of view presented in their own particular style.

The gratuitous T and A is always welcome, though.

^this.

oldrocker · #12 01-24-2011, 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MatticusMania

All I knows is, I took my recyclables in yesterday and walked away with $20 I didnt have otherwise.

Actually I think you just got back the $20 you already laid out.

SoonerMatt · #13 01-24-2011, 12:15 PM

Huge fan. I know that they sometimes BS their own BS, but it's generally entertaining.

MiniMoose234 · #14 01-24-2011, 01:12 PM

I've seen almost every episode, it's one of my favorite shows. I don't always agree with them, but it makes you think, and Penn's comments are hilarious. It makes some of the more boring issues much more interesting.

Jim Campbell · #15 01-24-2011, 01:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gard

So this proves that the recycling provider got hoodwinked too.

Look I'm all for recycling whenever possible, and I DO so. However, the economic realities of recycling are not as good as we're being told....

it is reported that much of what's recycled here ends up in the land fill anyhoo.....so instead of one trip,it travels around the city first....another way to feel all warm and fuzzy,while wasting more in the long run...

MatticusMania · #16 01-24-2011, 02:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldrocker

Actually I think you just got back the $20 you already laid out.

Well yeah, but Id rather actually get it back then just throw it away. All in all it took me about a half hour to do.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Campbell

it is reported that much of what's recycled here ends up in the land fill anyhoo.....so instead of one trip,it travels around the city first....another way to feel all warm and fuzzy,while wasting more in the long run...

Actually, the last time I had to go to the landfill I witnessed whole crews of men sorting out the recyclables. They actually do get recycled whether you do it yourself or not. The only perk to doing it yourself is getting back the 5cents you paid for every can & bottle on top of the purchase price. 10cents if you live in MI!

aborgman · #17 01-24-2011, 02:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gard

However, the economic realities of recycling are not as good as we're being told....

Depends on the material in question.

The economic realities of recycling steel, aluminum, iron, etc. are just as good as folks are being told.

Glass is pretty good also.

Paper? Probably not economically defensible, due to the fact that everyone gets to ignore the negative externalities. If you actually figure in realistic costs for those externalities? Probably a lot better.

Gard · #18 01-24-2011, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aborgman

Depends on the material in question.

The economic realities of recycling steel, aluminum, iron, etc. are just as good as folks are being told.

Glass is pretty good also.

Paper? Probably not economically defensible, due to the fact that everyone gets to ignore the negative externalities. If you actually figure in realistic costs for those externalities? Probably a lot better.

Agreed, however, how much steel or iron is the average homeowner with a recycling bin actually sending in for recycling?

I'll give you aluminum (to a point), and glass as being a potential break-even.

Paper, and PLASTIC, however...

...mind you I'm of the opinion that this is a BAD thing, and I wish we could figure out some way to reuse all this stuff so it's not floating in a big pile in the mid-Pacific killing the poor critters...I do my best to avoid needless packaging, and send it to the correct recycling contractors, but the reality is we're not doing very well at all...

Bongolation · #19 01-24-2011, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bocete

What I believe about recycling, I don't know, but it's not hard to do, so whatever... There are both valid points and agenda driven points on both sides, so I am not convinced either way.

I would have liked to have seen the show, as most (not all) recycling seems to be terrifically invalid from almost all standpoints and overall doesn't make a lot of sense as a net environmental gain.

warwick.hoy · #20 01-24-2011, 04:22 PM

I liked the first 2 seasons of BS myself. Even though they took some giant dumps on some of the more metaphysical things that interest me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gard

So this proves that the recycling provider got hoodwinked too.

Look I'm all for recycling whenever possible, and I DO so. However, the economic realities of recycling are not as good as we're being told....

Yup. I still sort my garbage just to save on bags but I stopped recycling and started throwing all my trash in the one dumpster for the apartment building.

Considering that A) there are a fleet of trucks that collect our dumpster and a completely separate fleet of trucks that come around and pick up the recycling (waste of resources); and B) there is a little old Asian man that comes around and dumpster dives the recyclables; I see no reason to my waste time and city resources with recycling.