Brenton
Thank You For Smoking
September 10th 2006 16:08
Promotional Poster
What’s more, is it made my friend, an unusually passionate smoker chuckle. The film was quite happy to beat both the pro and anti smoking groups around the head, and whichever side you’re on, you find yourself happy to allow it to do so.
This is probably because the film acts very much the same as it’s protagonist – Nick Naylor, tobacco industry lobbyist. It come over to you, all sweet and charming, and slips it’s message to you so simply and convincingly that you barely have time to react, let alone try to fight it.
The reason I feel compelled to write a film review in a blog about alternative viewpoints, is that this is what really lies at the crux of the film; the alternative. We are clearly informed that every view holds an equal and opposite view, and each alternative view has an alternative view and each alternative view’s alternative view has a… blah blah blah… which we could go over endlessly. However, at the end of it all, it’s up to you to check it out both sides and make up your mind. That’s all it is – a plea for viewers to think for themselves.
Which I think many would agree – is something well overdue.
Thank You For Email
| 134 |
| Vote |
Add To: 
subscribe to this blog
Activist Links: (Request one)
Vitamins are criminal?
Just say Know
Could Corporate Interests Destroy The Internet as we Know it?
Comment by Ahmed
Video Gamer Kids
Little Green Foosballs
PolyKicks
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
Warning: Explicit language, do not read if easily offended
The hypocrisy of the anti- smoking laws.
An alternate point of view from a recovering alcoholic who stopped drinking because the government said he should keep on doing it. And started smoking because the law said he couldn’t (With tongue planted firmly in cheek).
How can you say there is no smoking in bars? It’s a fucking bar; people are drinking alcohol by the gallons. Alcohol is just as poisonous. Just as many people die every year from alcohol related diseases.
Smoking is vilified. Smokers are treated like selfish social lepers. Alcohol abuse on the other hand is actually promoted and encouraged. Its part of what defines many Australians as Australians, that and fucking sport. (Check out an informative doco series on Discovery called Fascism and Football)
The government and media encourage the world to drink themselves to death.
Tobacco companies are banned from advertising their product. Yet, Alcohol companies sponsors all the major sporting events that Cigarette manufacturers used too. (In my experience neither makes you feel like running a mile)
Yet, booze-hounds feel above tobacco addicts and lovers. Often under the misconception that drinking only hurts themselves.
I guess its all part of big brothers master plan to “Keep the brain-dead masses brain-dead”. As far as I know smoking tobacco doesn’t kill brain-cells or cause memory loss.
Anyway, you may ask what prompted this soon to be long winded rant. Well I’ll tell ya.
So I am out the other night at a bar and some Rugby loving, Paris Hilton lusting, reality TV addicted fuckhead, has the stupidity to turn around with a shot of tequila in his hand, off his face and say,
Him- "Hey dickehead. You’re not allowed to smoke in the bar, I don’t want to breathe your second hand smoke and die of lung cancer."
Me- "Hey fuckstain, your killing yourself with alcohol just as fast. Don’t you know that your rum and coke is doing just as much damage to your system?"
NB* Probably a good time to mention-This story is the tale of the events as I remember them, not as they actually happened. Names and dialogue have been changed to make me sound cooler than I really am.
Him- "Yeah but I choose to drink and its not hurting anyone else."
Me- "Wow, it must be lovely to live in that little alcohol induced bubble of yours. Second hand Alcohol kills just as many innocent people."
Him- "What! There's no such thing as second hand alcohol you fuckwit."
Me- "Really? Just because the mass media hasn’t coined a phrase for it, it doesn’t exist? What about the drink driver that runs over your daughter? Or your drunken father that comes home from the bar a little rowdy and beats your mother half to death? The beer drinking fool at the cricket who throws a bottle and hits an innocent victim? The half wit that starts a drunken brawl because someone says something that doesn’t fit into his ignorant world view, because bourbon and cokes closed his mind years ago?”
Him- “What are you talking about, you idiot?”
Me- “Im talking to you about the deadliness of second hand alcohol you dildo loving lush! Second hand alcohol destroys innocent lives and is just as dangerous as second hand smoke. What about the husband or wife that has a few to many at the Christmas work party and destroys their family by sleeping with some equally inebriated co worker. God damn if I’m having to tell you this shit, you’ve obviously drunk yourself retarded.”
Him- “You fuckin cunt. I’m going to beat you down you piece of shit.”
Me- “Oh come on, that’s just the alcohol talking.”
Swwoooosh- sound of a windmill head-hunter missing my head by millimetres
A split second After that, for some inexplicable reason I can’t remember anything. Probably said something I shouldn’t have, Oh well.
Come on Kids. Am I the only one who sees through this big brother bullshit and feels that it’s not long before drunken mobs start beating up people, not based on their skin colour or wealth, but the fact they suck on a cancer stick?
Coming soon to the Love/Hate forum. As part of the Hypocrisies of Addiction in a Capitalist Society lecture series- The Hypocrisy of the Anti Marijuana laws in relation to the promotion of Alcohol consumption. This incidentally, does make you dumber, Eventually.
Comment by Ruth
NSW
ACT
VIC
SA
WA
NT
Comment by Ahmed
Video Gamer Kids
Little Green Foosballs
PolyKicks
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
wrote this a while ago, thought it tied in well with your blog and might amuse fans of the film.
Comment by Ahmed
Video Gamer Kids
Little Green Foosballs
PolyKicks
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
Plus it is very much the kind of diatribe Eckhart sprouts in Thank You For Smoking.
Comment by Ahmed
Video Gamer Kids
Little Green Foosballs
PolyKicks
Comment by Cibbuano
Hunt Famous
Orble Post of the Day
Fat Cult
Techbreak
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
In your review above you said-"The reason I feel compelled to write a film review in a blog about alternative viewpoints..."
Thats where I got the idea your blog is geared towards alternate viewpoints.....
Sorry if I misread, or misposted.
Comment by Ahmed
Video Gamer Kids
Little Green Foosballs
PolyKicks
Sorry, I thought what you were saying was odd, my blogs at www.techybytes.com
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
Talk about getting my lions crossed-sorry about that Ahmed. I will go check out your tech blog as well.
Comment by Brenton
Dr Spin
Tales From The Other Side
Blip Blog
Gadget Museum
Hello.
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
Always happy to hear the alternate point of view, more than often its my POV.
Comment by Lilla
From The Home Front
Enviro Warrior
Dream Herald
Esoteric Bookshop
I used to smoke for 26 years - heavily, then one day I got real sick.
Now I d'ont smoke and life is really better. no doubts about it, but that's probably because I am older too, and life gets better as you get older, no doubts about that either!
Anyway, what I wanted to say is that I loved what you said about views and opposite views. It is this line of thinking that leads one to believe that the more we focus on 'Terrorism' the more we create of it. It is perhaps better to focus on what we do want, rather than what we don't want more of in order to bring it about.
I'm not sure if that all makes sense either, but I liked your take on this issue and I think you're on the right track....
keep 'em coming
L
envirowarrier
Comment by Brenton
Dr Spin
Tales From The Other Side
Blip Blog
Gadget Museum
Comment by Ahmed
Video Gamer Kids
Little Green Foosballs
PolyKicks
You know how they say 'theres a bullet with your name on it', the one thats supposed to kill you, I've worked my way around that by inscribing my name on a bullet and keeping it close to me, this way there is a very unlikely chance someone else will have a b ullet with my name on it meaning I won't ever get shot.
Yes, I took that from Black Adder
Comment by Brenton
Dr Spin
Tales From The Other Side
Blip Blog
Gadget Museum
Well done.
Comment by Ahmed
Video Gamer Kids
Little Green Foosballs
PolyKicks
It showed how smart I was.
Comment by Brenton
Dr Spin
Tales From The Other Side
Blip Blog
Gadget Museum
Comment by Ahmed
Video Gamer Kids
Little Green Foosballs
PolyKicks