Penn & Teller: BS!

Penn and Teller examine the historical, religious, medical and ethical arguments associated with circumcision, and have a little hidden-camera fun with the topic, as well.

The surest path to happiness and fulfillment is found through marriage and children. Even government encourages this arrangement. . . by offering tax incentives to couples that raise a family. Advertisers relentlessly push the image of the traditional suburban family as well. All of them can't be wrong. Or can they? Remarried couples, blended families, unmarried straights with kids, gays and lesbians with and without kids, poly-amorous lovers, childless married couples, single-by-choice, and anyone in any other unorthodox family structure receive the message that they're just missing out. The truth is . . . the traditional family is becoming increasingly rare. The traditional family is bullshit.

From Ground Zero. . . to Dealy Plaza. . . to the light side of the moon, our gloves are off as we battle against the forces of stupidity! It's one thing to question the information that comes out of Washington and our corporate towers. It's another thing to swallow the line that anything you learn from science, the military, and the government are big, fat lies. C'MON! Look at the facts, people! Shadowy rumors of world domination, corruption, and evil plots around every corner? Hmmm. . . Now, that's a load of bullshit!

There's a stigma attached to seeing a therapist. But a life coach? Ah! Now that has a nice ring. Especially to the man or woman who decides one day to call him or herself a life coach! Amazingly, NO TRAINING of LICENSING is necessary! And, you can tell your friends you have one, and they won't look at you like you're crazy! Here's a tip. If you're actually nuts, get some real medical help for yourself. But if you're just feeling funky and a little down in the dumps, do a couple of other things. First, put your checkbook in your pocket. Then call your mom, or your best friend, or get your ass down to the corner coffee shop. Shoot the breeze with someone for a while, and, keep repeating, life coaching is BULLSHIT! Then watch our episode until it really sinks in.

College degrees will lead us to future happiness, enlightenment, fun, preparation for life, a fulfilling job, as well as national prosperity. At least, that's what we've been told and sold. That's brochure bullshit! Been to a college lately? Rather than beacons of enlightenment, colleges have become bloated 400 billion dollar a year corporations, islands isolated from the real world, treacherous minefields where free speech and individual liberty often get trampled. And not only that, but going to college offers no sure path to an enriching life. . . or even a blue-collar job!

Has our surveillance society made our lives more convenient? Has it succeeded in deterring crime and terrorism? Are the watchers just a bunch of incompetents as prone to distraction as the two bit rent-a-cop security guards at your neighborhood mall? Have the freedoms guaranteed us by the Constitution become just another load of Bullshit? In this episode, we'll watch the watchers and discover what role human nature plays in data mining and surveillance. We'll unveil the latest, and scariest, technologies and prove just how easy it is to get the goods on anyone - even you. Security? Freedom? There's bullshit on all sides!