Thank You for Smoking

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      "If you argue correctly, you are never wrong" is what the lead character told his son near the beginning of the movie Thank You for Smoking. This movie shines a light on the spin doctoring that goes on by both the tobacco industry and by those who oppose it. The message that the director is trying to relay is that people need to investigate issues and decide for themselves. When evaluating a study, movie commercial, etc., people need to think about the background of the source and figure out what their possible motives are. At the end the lead character said, "Micheal Jordan plays ball, Charles Manson kills people, I talk.  Everyone has a talent." Liken that statement to what many of the lobbyists do; it's a game, that kills people, because they are skilled at talking. What moral responsibility does the political system have, if any, to the people that are hurt by the groups that lobbyists represent. Even after the tobacco industry took a big hit, nothing changed. The system went on. It was the same story with  new companies.
    The director's political views influenced the messages he sent in this movie. The movie is less about the dangers of smoking and more about the political system in the United States and about the rights of people to make their own choices. The movie also makes the contention that when people have the facts before them and choose to ignore the facts, they need to take personal responsibility for their own actions and not blame anyone else.
Women might be offended by the female reporters use of sex to manipulate the main character. This is a stereotype and other than the movie producer, she was the only character that suffered negative consequences for her actions.
     I watched this movie without sound for awhile and was very surprised by how much of it I could understand by reading body language alone. In the beginning during the talk show scene, through body language we can see the disgust and hatred in the actions of audience members towards the tobacco industry representative. They all had furrowed brows and frowns. Then when the audiences opinions were changed through spin doctoring, they where shaking their heads up and down in agreement and approval for what Nick Naylor was saying. Later, Nick's son squinted his eyes and put his head down on his desk when his father was talking about his job at school. With body language alone Nick Naylor's son said that he was ashamed of his father and that it made him sad.