Defending Cigarette Smoking

My reaction paper is based on the relevancy of smoking and how it affects today's society. Smoking is something that is introduced to everyone at a very young age, whether it is a relative or complete stranger, children see smoking in everyday life. In thank you for smoking the main character Nick Naylor spends the majority of the movie defending cigarette smoking. Everyone realizes that cigarette smoking is not good for you and for this reason most people do not partake in the habit.
So why do people start smoking people would ask? Cigarettes are an addictive drug, and once most people start the habit of cigarette smoking it stays with them. It is also so advertised and available that most people just see people smoking and pick it up. It starts early, as well when a friend offers you a cigarette and you accept is the starting point. Most people have the first cigarette and think this isn't that bad and kinda makes me feel a little relaxed. So the next time anyone offers you'll be more prone to accepting of if you see a group you go ahead and join in. This example of conformity is exactly why cigarette smoking spreads.
I believe that to defend cigarettes one would have to have very loose morals. In my opinion that the defense of a product that causes a variety of health issues that sends so many people to their own grave is quite disgusting. Cigarettes will always be a drug that can cause damage to people's bodies but they are also always going to be available. I personally will never condone smoking to anyone for the simple fact that I couldn't say to anyone "go ahead smoke it's not bad for you." I could say I wouldn't smoke because it can cause health problems. Most people are not naïve though and know that smoking can kill.
Cigarettes could have a million warnings, they could have a warning paper that smokers would have to sign before purchasing each pack that wouldn't throw them off from doing it. Cigarettes are a drug and people are addicted.
Cigarettes used to be very socially acceptable in Americas past. A lot of people smoked because it was a part of everyday life smoking was mainly meant for people of higher status and was a part of everyday life. Smoking used to be a part of everyday life for people of higher status and was accepted. Most people of lower status in the past use to have to roll their own tobacco and it was not as much of a norm. It was in the movies on television peoples favorite celebrities use to smoke. One of my memories of famous people smoking is the image of Babe Ruth smoking his giant cigars.
Camel cigarettes use of the cartoon character Camel Joe was also an early memory of my childhood. This cartoon character was a big issue during the late 80's and early 90's. The advertisements ended up being banned because of the appeal of cartoons and how they could catch the attention of youth under the age of eighteen years old.
Smoking today has also been taken out of many facilities. Shopping Malls do not allow smoking inside any of the facilities. Airplanes no longer allow smoking on board any airplane. These changes have occurred because the effects of second hand smoke on people's health has been proven to cause health problems. This deterrence is mainly put in place to discourage smokers from smoking. Smoking is not expected or socially acceptable as it used to be in the past. Smoking is no longer a social norm because of all the health risks that come with it. When you smoke you run the risk of developing heart disease, a variety of cancers, and emphysema to name a few. The people around you are also at risk, due to second hand smoke. This includes young children, and the elderly, who are more prone to disease because of lower immune systems. Smoking during pregnancy is also another taboo in today's society. People believe that smoking during pregnancy can cause birth defects to the unborn child and may result in an early pregnancy. I agree with this belief and do not support any tobacco use during a pregnancy. An argument occurs in the movie that I have come to agree with during the final sequence. Nick Naylor made an argument that America's number one death toll is created by cholesterol and the heart disease that it creates. He notes that fatty foods doesn't come with a warning label despite all of the deaths that it creates each year. I have to tend to agree with this concern that he focuses on. It is true that cigarettes are harmful to your health but people do know that they are harmful and it doesn't tend to change whether or not people partake in smoking. A lot of Americans in today's society have grown to be obese and they are not warned about what they ingest daily. Anyone could go into a restaurant and fill their arteries with harmful substance no matter whom they are. At least tobacco has an age restriction and puts out the warning of how harmful the product is to the consumer. In conclusion I believe that the movie Thank you for Smoking has a great sociological view on how smoking is in fact harmful to you but displays another perspective on how you can view it. Thank you for Smoking gives an excellent depiction on where the tobacco industry is in today's society.