Penn & Teller: BS!

infant circumcision may be the most common medical procedure performed in the United States. In most case, there is no medical reason for it. In fact, circumcised males have as much as 30% less penile sensitivity than uncircumcised males. Yet, even today, historical, religious, medical and ethical arguments are used to justify cutting the heads off of millions of little American dicks. Some people argue for it just because they think it looks better that way. We say bulls***!

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 bulls***! 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!

Many Americans will fight to the death to defend their right to bear arms. They say guns don't kill people - people kill people. A well-armed citizenry prevents crime. If the weak carried weapons, crime would go down. For gun control advocates, it's all heresy - guns don't belong in the hands of everyday citizens. Guns kill people. Period. Guns in homes get into the hands of people who shouldn't have them - children and criminals primarily. Fasten your seatbelts and put on your ear protectors. It's going to be a bumpy and noisy ride as we take on the facts, the stats and the truth to find out who's dishing up the bulls*** on our episode about Gun Control!

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 bulls***? 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 bulls*** on all sides!

The Virgin Mary..or a grilled cheese sandwich? Just a recent example of the public's willingness to believe ordinary statues, icons, relics pictures, stains on tortillas, and burn marks on a piece of greasy white bread are signs from Heaven. bulls***! We'll examine the way preachers, faith healers, psychic researchers, and everyday folk continue to prey on those who pray. And we'll talk to scientists, historians, philosophers, and literary figures that will explain why humans are wired to attribute meaning to random patterns and events. We'll also show you how easy it is to find people who will find God wherever they look..even if it's in a photograph of ..headcheese.

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 bulls***!

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 bulls***! Then watch our episode until it really sinks in.

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 bulls***.

The business of hair is a billion dollar industry. People who don't have it, want it. People who have it in the wrong spots, want to get rid of it, or move it to other areas of their anatomy. Hair unites the genders. We're all obsessed with it. From the tops of our heads to the nooks and crannies down below, we'll get into every vain detail..and every sweaty crevice. Styling, waxing, shaving, cutting, extending, replacing..even one of the greatest magic tricks of all time - Johnny Thompson's comb-over technique! And that's no bulls***!

In over 30 years, the Endangered Species Act has cost taxpayers billions of dollars, but it has saved next to no endangered species! Its major accomplishment? Lining the pockets of environmental lawyers who know how to manipulate it for huge fees. And it's an excuse for a governmental land grab. We'll meet activists on all sides - from passionate believers who'll do anything to enforce the ESA, to a strong-willed, good-natured lady in a wheelchair who's homeless. The ESA won't let her build on her suburban lot in a neighborhood surrounded by houses and within rock throwing distance of a WalMart Supercenter! ESA our ass! Here's the simple fact: human beings and industrialization are not the sole impetus for extinction and if you hear anything different.. it's bulls***!

We are constantly told that we can have "the best": the best televisions, the best q-tips, the best cars, the best vacations.. even the best spouses. The problem is, there's no such thing as "the best!" It's a constantly moving target. And there is always someone who has something better than you do. As we explore America's insatiable pursuit of "the best," from day-to-day household items to lifestyle experiences, we'll see that the harder we try to get it, the more miserable we make ourselves. It's bulls*** that's making us crazy!

It's scary to know in today's Age of Enlightenment, the world's fascination with the "paranormal" is at an all-time high. And where there are gullible believers, you can bet there are hordes of "experts" lurking, ready to sell something to them. We will delve into the realm of the "spirits" and take a look at the revived interest ghost hunting. We'll spend time with so-called parapsychologists as they track ghosts with their new-fangled, pseudoscientific equipment. Will they find something? Yeah, right! We'll show you how some of them bulls*** themselves as much as their clients as they try to get to the bottom of nonexistent mysteries.