Thank You For Smoking Ethical Analysis

Thank you for Smoking is a movie of cynical humor which throws some light into the deeply flawed working of the lobbying industry. Nick Naylor is a professional lobbyist who works for the Academy of Tobacco Studies and his job like Naylor describes in the movie requires high levels of moral flexibility as he confidently tries to manipulate the public and deviate them from believing the negative consequences of smoking. Throughout the course of the movie, various situations are illustrated where Naylor juggles between unethical requirements of his job and being a good role model for his son. It poses various ethical conflicts in the mind of the audience as it illuminates the absolute absence of conscience among the Merchants of Death and the other characters, raising the question that “Does ‘paying the mortgage’ justify unethical corporate rhetoric?”
Almost all the characters in the movie are devoid of compunction, regardless of the detrimental effects of their actions on public. A possible way to assess ethicality of the characters’ actions would be to use a utilitarian perspective in its analysis. Being the protagonist, Nick Naylor’s primary goal was not to convince the public of the benefits of smoking but argue that there are other products in the market that cause more deaths than cigarettes, like cars and cheese! Although a brilliant persuasive speaker and actualizes his professional duties by improving cigarette sales he completely falls short in his social and ethical