Critique: Thank You for Smoking

Essay by sooos_87A, May 2007

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Peter Brimelow’s article “Thank You for Smoking” is a well-written argument with a lot of evidence to support his claim. His article discussed the benefits that smoking might have to peoples’ health. In addition, he admitted smoking is unhealthy. The writer also compared between smoking and driving automobiles. Moreover, he claimed that smoking stimulates alertness, dexterity, and cognitive capacity. Citing a number of scientific journals, Brimelow had also found that smoking could reduce the risk of developing such diseases as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, endometrial cancer, Prostate cancer, Osteoarthritis and Colon cancer. In addition, Brimelow stated that smoking could reduce the risk of certain lung disorders and acne. Finally, he believed that smoking could certainly make a person weigh less. Although Brimelow’s research is very thorough and correct, I believe that Brimelow has both strengths and weaknesses to his argument. Through his article, he made an effort to convince the audience that smoking is actually beneficial to one’s health.

Brimelow provides rational support for the positive side of smoking. An example used in this essay is the author’s comparison of driving automobiles to smoking cigarettes. However, I think this is a weak comparison. Cigarettes may have a few temporary satisfying qualities, but they kill over 400,000 people a year as compared to about 40,000 deaths due to automobiles. I would not think smoking could be beneficial in any way. In spite of this, he used reliable resources for his evidence with studies that astonished me. Most people agree smoking is harmful, hence when the writer shows he is aware of both sides, he seems more informed, is more believable, and will have more people willing to listen to him. Although this essay gives evidence, smoking has so many other negative aspects that outweigh the benefits. Brimelow even admits that...