This should never have been made...it is pointless. "Adman ruins vaccine deniers" or "Adam ruins people who think it is hygienic to wipe their noses with shit paper."

Nothing he says is very funny because it doesn't reveal a single thing. And yet he says it like it is revolutionary. I get that some courts allow people to take it and a select few people still believe in it...but yeah.

I disagree. Debunking something that is widely accepted as true is an important thing to learn.
Of course, funny is completely subjective.
But I believe that this video does a public service, honestly, in a palatable way.

I agree with everything you said brycewi. And it would apply here too IF Adam was providing information that wasn't well known by nearly everyone today. Most people believe lie detectors are pseudo science. It is not even comparable to global warming, and even less than anti-vaccines (Or if this is somehow untrue, then Adam doesn't provide how truly well believed this phenomenon is as he prattles on.) So that is where we would vary significantly on, not that the service of providing debunking of something taken as true is important/unimportant.

Yes, some people believe it works. Others watch it on talk shows and such for entertainment and even some law enforcement use it for confessional purposes. We get that. But then again some Africans believe raping a virgin will cure AIDs...does that mean their country is a bunch of degenerates? No, because only a few do.

Adam goes off on this rant based on information in what, the 90s? When everyone had this unshakable faith in the lie detector? My family's entire life rested on one of these machines at one time, so I know. (It didn't turn out good, lets leave it at that.)

Further, we differentiate three "uses" of the lie detector.
1-Entertainment:
A-Nobody believes it works, just like nobody believes Jerry Springer or Wrestling isn't fake.
B-Lumping those people in with those who do believe is disingenuous at best, manipulative at worst.
2-Law Enforcement:
A-They really don't care as long as they obtain guilty confessions. In other words, they already know (think) they have the bad guy and use it as an interrogation techniques.
B-You can argue with this practice as shady and deceptive (ironic isn't it?) but we shouldn't confuse belief with reliance.
3-Excluding the examples above, since they DON'T believe, those in the ultra fringe don't constitute "widely accepted."

Unfortunately, I disagree. Far too many people believe lie detectors work, in the same way many believe finger prints are completely unique and identifying them is a science...it's not, that's why computers can't be used to identify fingerprints, it takes a human 'fingerprint artist'. Even many law enforcement agencies still use polygraphs as factual tools.

Wait...so in your second paragraph you admit that many probably really believe in lie detectors...but because that doesn't make them degenerates.....um.....what?!? If only SOME Africans believe raping a virgin cures AIDS, you seem to be saying that educating them about their mistaken belief is dumb and a thing to ridicule...ignoring the immense damage those few can do with their mistaken beliefs.

So, you have personal experience with the fallacy of lie detectors, and so you assume everyone knows they don't work? You give others too much credit, I think.

Many law enforcement agencies still treat polygraph results as fact, and have actually tried many times to have them admitted in court as evidence....just like fingerprints, eye witness identification, and even psychics. perhaps most know it's pseudo science, but enough don't know, or don't understand what that means, that pounding it into their heads that it's junk is not just reasonable, it's a necessity.

I think you overestimate the knowledge base of the general public. I don't believe the average person (especially in America) knows that this device is completely without credibility.
So much so that it continues to have a giant influence in our legal system and popular culture (e.g. TV crime drama).
Even if this is something that has been debunked a couple decades ago doesn't mean the information has been properly distributed to the general public.
I still find value to a video like this because of it's nature to inform those who didn't know.
I'm only arguing against your initial point that this "should never have been made". The truth has to continually fight the lies.

Influence is different than belief. People believe in God. People were influenced by many evil men. In this case it is the same. Lie detectors are "mystical" and "fun." Much in the same way Ouija boards are fun as when you are a kid. Yeah, a few take it to the next level, but again it is not "massive amounts of people."

And look at this. "You are not the father," followed by massive antics. "The lie detector determined that was a lie," followed by massive antics. Again, no one gives two shits about the test, they want to see the bullshit. Let me pose this (and answer it please,) do you think people would watch pop culture if it was bland just because it had a lie detector test? Of course not, because no one gives...two shits

In this regard I am actually insulting American intellect far more than if they believed in a pseudo science, lol. Those people are pathetic, just like Springer people.

And I can see the value--if it makes you happy by all means. I am just justifying why I downvoted it (for blowing up the numbers and shifting blame.)

Also, Adam even disagrees with you! Lol; he says at the end about police departments using it to obtain confessions and it not being real, and the police say "yeah we know that!" Ie., police use it as a tool of influence to scared people. What people do fear is the jury not caring that a detector is inadmissible, they fear it won't matter because perception is 9/10ths of the law.

I don't assume anything more than Adam is assuming. He even says police don't believe in it yet claims it is believed in...

And what are you saying about Africa? I made the point to say,
A-Some Africans believe in something, but most do not. It should not be attributed to their population at large.
B-In this same manner a relatively few (even 1/2 million Americans is a paltry sum, since our population is in the hundred millions) Americans believe in lie detectors.

I did not imply anything more. Nothing about educating, nothing about anything. It was a comparison. I guess you could infer it, but then I am fine with videos like this (So long as they don't blow the proportions out of proportions.)

Again, my point is clear. A very minor amount of people believe. Just like a flat earth is still believed in. Unfortunately people lose perspective of HUGE numbers, like millions. So yeah, there is that.

And again...manipulation does not equate to belief...if they could, every department would admit lie detector results if they thought it would benefit them. Does that mean that suddenly everyone would "believe" in them when they know they are bullshit? Of course not...

@lawdeelaw, I think if the polygraph is used in criminal investigations (and no one seems to be disputing that it is), then it is important to tell people that it's fake.

Also, fun fact: One of the guys who was instrumental in creating the polygraph also created the character of Wonder Woman (hence her "lasso of truth").

My point...the police (for the most part) know it doesn't work, yet they continue to use it as a 'tool' to trick people....people who think it DOES work....so teaching them that the cops are lying to them (again) about this is 100% appropriate and useful information for them.

I had no idea what you were saying about Africa...let's drop it.
If 1/2 million people (a HUGE number, and yet I think not 1/100 of the likely true number) still believe in them, that's 500000 people out there ready to convict you based on lies...and it's probably 100 times more than that. Americans were told for decades that lie detectors work, and barely told at all that that was all a lie. Many many people believe in them as factual devices, not just boxes to trick people with.
EDIT: The same could be said today for fingerprint evidence...which the public perception is that it's an infallible science (just like we were told about lie detectors), when the truth is it's closer to an interpretive art form than a science.

As to your second post...plenty of people still believe, far more than you give credit for, and these people may sit on a jury. If you have one person who KNOWS that lie detectors work, and 11 who think they don't, but aren't sure, the mere mention of 'the defendant failed a lie detector repeatedly' during closing can put many a defendant in prison....and has.
Again, I think you give the public too much credit, first by saying that only .3% think lie detectors work...I would bet that a survey would show more like 10% still think that, and the idea that the rest of us all KNOW for certain that they don't, and can't be convinced by one of the 10%.
For those, and other reasons, repeating 'lie detectors are liars' over and over is proper and useful to both those who don't know, and those who do.

Which is a fine point Chaos. But again, Adam needs to cut the hyperbole

I guess what annoys me so much is that Adam usually is always so on point it hurts. Lol. When he does embellish you really notice it.

If this was a serious documentary or a report to congress, then yeah.

But it's just a comedy bit, so a bit of poetic licence with the hyperbole is acceptable IMO.

Besides, I really don't think it's that hyperbolic.

It is clearly hyperbole when he says everyone believes in it then makes humor at the end countering that very same claim in the video. It is also clearly hyperbole when comedy is used in a strictly fact-based format that messes up the facts, etc. (Ie., comedy is FINE. But do it factually )

For example, the Daily Show recently was under attack for their biased coverage of the Democratic debate. How many people got the "real" journalism from them in the past? That integrity was/is so important it isn't even funny.

It is why they were so disgusted/pissed when basically Trevor Noah was sucking Hilary's dick off into his mouth. It also didn't help when he later forced a skit (intended to be funny...but was really lame...) that painted Sanders as a Spic hater (Which it really didn't do...)

Point is Adam uses a fact/truth/real history model for his audience. We expect that.