Makes you wish all snake oil salesmen were burned by the Dragons

I’ve never watched the show Dragons’ Den, but if this is their attitude towards cranks and peddlers of woo and bullshit, I may just have to put them on now and again for the lulz. The concept: would-be inventors and entrepreneurs try to convince a panel of several Dragons (a group of business experts) to finance their products/company/whatever. As you would expect, every now and then they receive pitches that are less than tempting and the Dragons can be quite pleasantly blunt when they like. Such as this time, when they’re confronted by a snake oil salesman who tries to convince them to dish out $2.5 million to finance what amounts to no more than homeopathic water, which can apparently cure anything from prostate problems to leukemia. It’s magic cure-all water, as advertised! … Except that, of course, it ain’t.

The Dragons show us how these homeopathic quacks need to be dealt with more often.

A few of my favorite barbs:

• ‘Don’t take this the wrong way … but you’re crazy. You are the classic snake oil salesman.’
• ‘Bruce, I don’t think you’re crazy, but you disgust me.’
• ‘Okay, you don’t disgust me; you offend me.’

• ‘Bruce, this is all bullshit.’

He was treated quite politely, actually, compared to what he deserves. Sure, I suppose there’s a chance he actually does believe in his pseudoscientific nonsense – hey, there are some who believe prayer actually works, too, right? – but that is still no reason for him to be treated any better. His beliefs are dangerous, and him trying to spread them and advertise them is even worse.

(via Bad Astronomy)