Movie Reflection: "Thank You for Smoking"

 "Thank You for Smoking" presents an interesting insight into the world of vice advertising, both the positives and the negatives. There is a great amount of money to be made, that cannot be denied. And in essence, all you're really doing as the advertiser is letting the people know they have the option to use your product, right?

I would argue that there is more to it than that!

To most of us, it is entirely obvious that cigarettes are harmful to your lungs or that alcohol degrades your liver. But just because those are facts that are known broadly across society to be true does not mean that there aren't people who don't know that information! 

The film does an excellent job of making the audience root for the protagonist, despite also making it quite clear that the product he is selling kills many, many people. I commend the filmmakers for their skill, but I also scorn them for continuing to influence people to ignore the dangers of addictive products!

By making an audience sympathetic for a major vice advertiser, you encourage them to forgive some of the detriments of the product, even if they are explicitly mentioned in the same film. 

Essentially, the film functions as a vice advertisement itself, using the same tactics to manipulate the audience that Nick Naylor uses throughout the movie. It's genius! And absurdly unethical!!

Don't misunderstand me, however, as I do actually agree with the final argument that is made in the film. People should have the right to choose to consume products, even if they know they are harmful to themselves. 

But that absolutely does not give a pass to advertisers to ignore the dangers of the products they sell, in fact I believe that the negative effects of a product should be just a prominently marketed as the benefits!

That belief doesn't come from a place of ignorance on my end, it comes from my understanding of ignorance in others. Multitudes of people do not have the knowledge necessary to make an informed decision about using addictive products. 

And advertisements are proven to have an incredible amount of power of the decisions that people make, especially those that have less access to enlighten themselves.

Nothing could convince me to agree with the sentiments in the film or to participate in vice advertising myself, not as it exists now. Because I firmly feel that if advertisements of harmful products cannot fully encompass the benefits and detriments of the product, in a way that everyone can truly comprehend, then they aren't advertisements at all... 

They're misguidance, manipulation, and murderous!!