A Responsibility Like No Other

A Responsibility Like No Other

A Responsibility like No Other

Thank You for Smoking is the story of Nick Naylor as the lobbyist or spokesperson of Academy of Tobacco Studies. A smart ass when in comes to words, Naylor became a powerful weapon to the tobacco industry in maintaining a ‘positive image’ despite millions of detractors. And though he was one of the best when it comes to his job, Naylor was faced in the situation when he had to choose between his responsibilities and the practicality of life.

In the film, Naylor poses as some sort of Public Relations practitioner. His job was “to be right”. He became one of the most hated individual in the society especially because the product he was protecting was killing hundreds of people – adults and children alike. He was able to ‘convince’ the public, yes, but not after breaking some codes of ethics that are set by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA).

A briefcase of money was handed to the Malboro Man. The Malboro Man was suffering from cancer allegedly caused by smoking tobacco. The group of companies manufacturing cigarettes wanted to keep him silent from saying that his disease was brought on by all those times he was smoking. However, they knew that giving stacks of money to a cowboy (or any other people for that matter) would look bad on them. They knew that it was bribery, plain and simple. So, they sent for Naylor. The task was difficult at first, but with the use of some words and a bit of tactic, Naylor was able to ‘convince’ the Marlboro Man to take the money and keep his silence.

Naylor was always talking. He talked about a lot of things he was aware of. He knew a lot of things and this came to his advantage. Be it speaking in front of his son’s class or in front of the stockholders, he knew his words and was able to ‘convince’ the listeners the truth in his words. At first glance, his arguments seemed valid. He was able to make ends meet; turning the dark situation to light in favor to...

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