Episode 14: Thwarting Disbelief

Play now!

Tired of bullshit? Well, then, you've come to the right podcast. I won't say I won't bullshit the listeners from time to time—in fact, I can't really claim that this podcast isn't complete bullshit all the time—but at least Attack Ads! recognizes that most advertising is bullshit.

And I'm not just saying that as a perjorative. I mean most ads are bullshit.

Episode 14: Thwarting Disbelief dives a bit into bullshit, that is to say, bullshit of two kinds. The first are beliefs that have no evidential basis in fact, but are held nonetheless. The second kind is the appeal we can make to the non-rational brain, using setting, tone and acting to trigger those social and emotional cues that drive a majority of our behavior. The problem arises, in my opinion, when the attempt to discredit and reveal the first kind of bullshit runs counter to the commercial attempt to use the second kind of bullshit to promote products and services. On commercial media, therefore, only the bullshit that pays gets to play.

The Skeptologists page is still up, though no show seems to be forthcoming . . . not surprising, given recent events.


The Biolator

My hearty thanks to Hanna, who provided much needed non-Jim voice talent on this episode.

Music includes (in order of appearance) Necromonikon Quartett, "Future"; Podington Bear, "Happiness Is;" and Mistle Thrush's "It's All Like Today" once again. I just like that last bit as a closer, I guess, so expect to hear it a few times more.