Grand Theft Childhood Authors To Appear on Penn & Teller Bullshit

February 11, 2009 -

Dr. Cheryl Olson, co-author of Grand Theft Childhood, dropped GamePolitics a line to say that she and her husband/writing partner Dr. Lawrence Kutner will appear in an upcoming Penn & Teller: Bullshit! episode which examines the video game violence controversy.

As we reported last September, disbarred Miami attorney Jack Thompson was also interviewed for the show.

A Penn & Teller producer indicated that the game violence episode would likely air in the summer, but could not provide a specific date.

Penn Jillette twittered briefly about the filming of the episode earlier this week:

We're taping "Video Game Violence" BS. A first-person shooter game where you get to be BS "Penn". My Father-in-law got to get shot.

Olson also mentioned to GP that a Korean language version of Grand Theft Childhood is being published.

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Comments

Re: Grand Theft Childhood Authors To Appear on Penn & ...

Submitted by plastorgas on Wed, 04/15/2009 - 08:22.

Well, what can you say!

They are the most politically incorrect couple of the history of entertainment!

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shows de magia

--- mago

Re: Grand Theft Childhood Authors To Appear on Penn & ...

Submitted by Father Time on Wed, 02/11/2009 - 17:39.

Complete list of Season 7 episodes penn has mentioned on twitter (in alphabetical order)

2012

Astrology

Lawns

Lie Detectors

Organic Living

Orgasms

Stress

Taxes

Vatican

Video Game Violence

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Debates are like merry go rounds. Two people take their positions then they go through the same points over and over and over again. Then when it's over they have the same positions they started in.

---------------------------------------------------- Debates are like merry go rounds. Two people take their positions then they go through the same points over and over and over again. Then when it's over they have the same positions they started in.

Re: Grand Theft Childhood Authors To Appear on Penn & ...

Submitted by Arell on Thu, 02/12/2009 - 07:29.

Wait. They're calling bullshit on orgasms?

Re: Grand Theft Childhood Authors To Appear on Penn & ...

Submitted by Father Time on Thu, 02/12/2009 - 14:01.

I have no idea what they're actually going to discuss in that episode, I only know the title.

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Debates are like merry go rounds. Two people take their positions then they go through the same points over and over and over again. Then when it's over they have the same positions they started in.

Re: Grand Theft Childhood Authors To Appear on Penn & ...

Submitted by BrandonL337 on Wed, 02/11/2009 - 18:23.

Lawns?

I think I'm gonna call Bullshit! on that one

There have always been motherf*ckers, there will always be motherf*ckers, but what we can't do is let them control our motherf*cking lives. -John Oliver, December 1st, 2008

Re: Grand Theft Childhood Authors To Appear on Penn & ...

Submitted by Father Time on Wed, 02/11/2009 - 21:01.

http://twitter.com/pennjillette/status/1145221042

My guess is it's going to be about lawn care products and stuff like that that don't work. I highly doubt they'd call bullshit on lawns though, I think most people can agree that in suburbia a house with a lawn usually looks better than the same house with a dirt plot.

You know they had an episode in season 4 called numbers and it was about how numbers can be manipulated to serve a cause and they made sure to point out that numbers themselves aren't bs. Probably something similar happening here.

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Debates are like merry go rounds. Two people take their positions then they go through the same points over and over and over again. Then when it's over they have the same positions they started in.

Re: Grand Theft Childhood Authors To Appear on Penn & Teller

Submitted by Tony on Wed, 02/11/2009 - 09:24.

I'm surprised they're still making it - hasn't been shown in the UK for years (I think the last one I saw was on passive smoking). It'd be interesting to see if there's a way of getting it.. it was one of the more entertaining shows on for a while.

It's very biased and makes no bones about it - they start with a conclusion and 'prove' it rather than examining evidence.. but it's fun to watch and occasionally educational.

Didn't they then go on to do a magic show (pen and teller's magic, IIRC)? The went to india etc. and saw some interesting stuff.

Re: Grand Theft Childhood Authors To Appear on Penn & Teller

Submitted by Father Time on Wed, 02/11/2009 - 17:40.

Well presumably they did all their research and "un-scientific bullshit experiments" beforehand so of course they've all ready had a conclusion by the time they started filming.

This would be no different than the mythbusters coming out at the start of the episode saying

"we've concluded that you can make a lead balloon fly" and then showing them making the lead balloon rather than the other way wround (that was a great episode by the way).

Although yes P and T are biased.

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Debates are like merry go rounds. Two people take their positions then they go through the same points over and over and over again. Then when it's over they have the same positions they started in.

Re: Grand Theft Childhood Authors To Appear on Penn & Teller

Submitted by SimonBob on Wed, 02/11/2009 - 10:50.

They were magicians beforehand, actually -- you're thinking of their Magic and Mystery Tour, but they've been performing since the 80s. They even have an unreleased video game!

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The Mammon Industry

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Fangamer

Re: Grand Theft Childhood Authors To Appear on Penn & Teller

Submitted by DarkSaber on Wed, 02/11/2009 - 11:57.

Yeah, the Desert Bus game from it has cropped up in a couple of stories here, I think a charity was doing a sponsored marathon play of it"

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I LIKE the fence. I get 2 groups to laugh at then.

-------------------------------------------------- I LIKE the fence. I get 2 groups to laugh at then.

Re: Grand Theft Childhood Authors To Appear on Penn & ...

Submitted by squigs on Wed, 02/11/2009 - 09:00.

And everyone should remember to take Bullshit with a few pinches of salt.

Personally I think the show is great, I love Penn and Teller, but it's not the most balanced of shows. Even Penn Jillette has said that it's biased as hell.

Re: Grand Theft Childhood Authors To Appear on Penn & ...

Submitted by mogbert on Wed, 02/11/2009 - 13:01.

Remember, it's on considered biased if you don't agree with the premise. If you agree with it, then we use the term "justified".

(joke!)

Re: Grand Theft Childhood Authors To Appear on Penn & ...

Submitted by Arell on Wed, 02/11/2009 - 09:20.

I remember reading that the language they use in the show is in part to make it clear that they're not trying to come off as authorities on the subjects. By swearing up a storm, it's apparent to the audience that they're just voicing an opinion (although usually an eductated opinion), and they avoid dealing with lawsuits.

Re: Grand Theft Childhood Authors To Appear on Penn & ...

Submitted by DeepThorn on Wed, 02/11/2009 - 09:15.

It is only their personal opinions after doing some research. (So more respectiable than the news we see on TV sometimes, and anything that JT says.)

Nido Web Flash Tutorials AS2 and AS3 Tutorials for anyone interested.
How to set Xbox 360 Parental Controls

Re: Grand Theft Childhood Authors To Appear on Penn & Teller

Submitted by sortableturnip on Wed, 02/11/2009 - 08:59.

I can't wait for this episode to air...

Sortableturnip's Law: As an online discussion of video game violence grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Jack Thompson approaches 1

Re: Grand Theft Childhood Authors To Appear on Penn & ...

Submitted by DeepThorn on Wed, 02/11/2009 - 08:47.

Other episodes for season 7 will be:

"Orgasms"
"Astrology"
"2012"

Nido Web Flash Tutorials AS2 and AS3 Tutorials for anyone interested.
How to set Xbox 360 Parental Controls

Re: Grand Theft Childhood Authors To Appear on Penn & ...

Submitted by Arell on Wed, 02/11/2009 - 09:11.

But, but... 2012 isn't bullshit. We're all going to die!

Argh, I don't have Showtime anymore! I'll have to find the episode online somewhere, and Showtime likes to charge for streaming video....

Re: Grand Theft Childhood Authors To Appear on Penn & ...

Submitted by squigs on Thu, 02/12/2009 - 08:04.

2012 IS bullshit!

As soon as December 2011 is over we're going straight into 2013!

Re: Grand Theft Childhood Authors To Appear on Penn & ...

Submitted by DeepThorn on Wed, 02/11/2009 - 09:13.

I think Hulu has some of them out of the legal resources we have.

Nido Web Flash Tutorials AS2 and AS3 Tutorials for anyone interested.
How to set Xbox 360 Parental Controls

Re: Grand Theft Childhood Authors To Appear on Penn & Teller

Submitted by Mechadon on Wed, 02/11/2009 - 08:18.

Bullshit! is the best show ever. I've been watching it for years knowing that, eventually, an epsode like this would be made. Everyone should watch it.

Though, if you believe in any bullshit, you're likely to be offended.

Re: Grand Theft Childhood Authors To Appear on Penn & Teller

Submitted by Bennett Beeny on Wed, 02/11/2009 - 15:57.

Unfortunately, Penn & Teller's Bullshit doesn't hold itself up to very high standards. Basically it's an ideologically driven show. They take people who are usually clueless ideologues (which you can find on the fringes of any issue) and they poke fun at them. But on occasion they use careful editing to do the same with rational folks whose only 'wackiness' is that they don't subscribe to Penn & Teller's ideology, and they use careful editing to make the clueless ideologues who subscribe to Penn & Teller's favoured ideology look good. That's when the flaws in their show become very apparent indeed.

If Penn and Teller took a more reasoned approach and used some sort of gauge for who is actually right (and calling someone an asshole is not anywhere near what's needed), then their show might actually be worthwhile. As it is, their show is basically a reality TV show intended to support the views of the more mindless people of the libertarian persuasion.

Now, having said that, Penn and Teller are probably going to come down on the correct side on this issue, as the notion that media is harmless is a big plank of the libertarian platform. But they'll be coming down on the correct side by accident rather than by any rational argument.

Re: Grand Theft Childhood Authors To Appear on Penn & Teller

Submitted by Father Time on Wed, 02/11/2009 - 17:43.

I have to ask do you have a source that they do questionable editing or do you immediately assume that because they have different opinions or make people look stupid that they must've used editing tricks? It seems a lot like the latter.

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Debates are like merry go rounds. Two people take their positions then they go through the same points over and over and over again. Then when it's over they have the same positions they started in.

Re: Grand Theft Childhood Authors To Appear on Penn & Teller

Submitted by silversnowfox on Thu, 02/12/2009 - 04:09.

They've actually fielded this accusation, and have said that they let people say what they want to say. They don't use editing tricks, just to get what they want. Yes, they do edit, but if they didnt, well, one episode would make a full LotR marathon look like a nice sit down affair.

However, Penn has admitted that they are, "Bias as all fuck". And that their intended last episode will be, "The Bullshit of Bullshit".

I have to agree that it's a great show. Friend of mine introduced me to it, by forcing me to sit down and watch an episode. I've been a avid fan ever since.

"But I am ley tired..."

"If you really want to enslave people, tell them you are going to give them Total Freedom." - L. Ron Hubbard

Re: Grand Theft Childhood Authors To Appear on Penn & Teller

Submitted by Father Time on Thu, 02/12/2009 - 06:29.

I know that, there's only been two episodes of bs I haven't seen (ghostbusters and life coaching) but I was wondering where he came to that conclusion. Oh and just out of curiosity what was the one episode your friend forced you to see?

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Debates are like merry go rounds. Two people take their positions then they go through the same points over and over and over again. Then when it's over they have the same positions they started in.

Re: Grand Theft Childhood Authors To Appear on Penn & Teller

Submitted by SimonBob on Wed, 02/11/2009 - 08:24.

"Global warming is fake and abortion is worse than the Holocaust!"

There, now none of the real BSers have to say it. ;D

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The Mammon Industry

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Fangamer

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