Rebuttal of Peter Brimelow’s, Thank You for Smoking?

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Rebuttal of Peter Brimelow’s, “Thank You for Smoking…?” Have you ever been in a room full of people who are smoking? Have you ever questioned why they would put their health as well as yours in jeopardy by smoking? Did you ever think smoking could be good for you? Peter Brimelow says just that in his article “Thank You for Smoking…?” In Brimlow’s article, he explains all the health benefits smoking can provide you. Such evidence as that of D.M Warbutton, a British researcher who said that smoking stimulates alertness, dexterity, and cognitive capacity(141). Citing a number of scientific journals, Brimlow has also found that smoking can reduce the risk of developing such diseases as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, Endometrial cancer, Prostate cancer, Osteoarthritis and Colon cancer. Brimelow states that smoking can reduce the risk of certain lung disorders (sarcoidosis and allergic alveolitis) and acne (142). Last, but not least, he states that smoking can indeed make you weigh less (142). Although Brimelow’s research is very in-depth and correct, we believe that the negative effects of smoking far outnumber the positive effects that he mentions in this article. Many people choose to smoke. They have their own reasons for doing it, and some feel very strongly about their smoking habit. They may make many arguments as to why they smoke. We believe that they have some valid arguments, but we have opposing viewpoints on this subject. Smoking has several health benefits. In Brimelow’s article he mentions twelve health benefits that smoking can provide for smokers. In our minds these twelve facts are minimal compared to the hundreds of facts against smoking that we have heard throug... ... middle of paper ... ... for Not Smoking…?.” Awalt’s facts for smoking seem very one-sided and very minimal compared to the facts against smoking. We believe that the only way to live a healthy life is without tobacco products. After comparing the health facts of both sides, it becomes clear that smoking causes many more harmful effects than positive ones. Works Cited Action on Smoking and Health. “New Study Shows Quitting Smoking Will Save a Bundle of Money” 31 Dec. 2003. 10 March 2004. http://no-smoking.org/jan04/01-02-04-5.html. American Lung Association. “What are the Benefits of Quitting Smoking?” 2003. 10 March 2004. http://www.lungusa.org/tobacco/quit_ben.html Brimelow, Peter. “Thank You for Smoking…?” The Genre of Argument. Ed. Irene L. Clark. Boston Thompson-Heinle, 1998. Clark, Irene L. The Genre of Argument. Boston Thompson-Heinle. 1998.

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