Thank you for smoking!!!
Have you seen that movie?
The main character(Aaron Eckhart) is PR for the biggest tobacco companies that have research institute that wants to prove that smoking doesn't damage your health!!!
So he is actually a lobbyist for the company. So called PR!
I wont go so much into the content of the movie, its an amusing comedy. But i would rather argue the lobbying part.As the character says, that's not a science or a skill that you can learn at university. Its a talent or maybe capability.
What he does is sharply observing the words that people use in the debate, and turns the facts against you. The purpose is not to persuade you that he is right, but to persuade everyone else that you are wrong, so "automatically" he is right.
Watch this example:(from the movie)
A: USA has the best government in the world!
B: who says that? and what makes the US government the best in the world?
A: what do you mean, everyone is saying that. Look how good we live.
B: best in what? what about making profits from braking trade deals with the 3rd world countries, or executing criminals etc etc/. we have good government, but definitely not the best.
walla!!! argument won! he managed to prove that A is wrong, not that B is right!
and i was trying to do the same with my friend Zuzka tonight, and it really works. You are able to corner the people if you are careful, ask the right questions, and turn the facts around. Thats what good PR's do. Being careful when they express themselves. And use all the "mistakes" that the other side makes.
As the main character says - "I am lobbiest and i am never wrong".
He is representing the tobacco companies that kill 1.200 people per day. He is the face of mass murderers. Like two JamboJets crash every day.And what he says is - i am representing 55 Mill. people in US. They all have the liberty to chose, that is why the country is so great! We dont have the intention to kill those people, cause we would be killing a customer. Who wants to kill his customer??? We want them to live long and smoke our cigarettes, our product! As a matter a fact, now we invested additional 50 Mill$ in research to find cancer cure that noone can ever die from cancer!
How ridiculous argument, but its true, one at the time if you look at it like that.
what do you think? is it possible?
try it. its a lot of fun, and can be useful sometime. hopefully not in this guys way...:)
3 Comments:
hmmm, it was interesting to be "used" in such an experiment.
The method as such - asking questions based on the used words of the other part, challenging what was said - is really cool. The best mentoring tool you can imagine.
Fun starts when it is being used by the PR people. They don't care about the self-development of the challenged person. They use the conversation/the person in order to impress the THIRD party whose interest/agreement/attention they need.
Typical example: political debates on TV. The politicians didn't come to persuade each other. They came to be seen and to impress their potential voters.
Does purpose justify the means?
It's necessary & useful to learn about the tool to be able to recognize it when it's being used. On the other hand, using it requires an active moral judgment and conscious decision. Hopefully, in accordance with personal values and moral standards.
Are we strong enough to keep control?
November 30, 2006 4:31:00 AM MET
D,
Interesting that you post about this, I watched this movie just before I went to Belize for Thanksgiving. I was impressed by the lobbying/debate skills used and their effectiveness. On the other hand as an audience member I personally get frustrated by this method of lobbying or debate because the person doesn't have their own ideas or proposal they are just poking holes in somebody else’s ideas. In my eyes they often loose credibility. Therefore if as an audience member you are aware of the technique then you may not be persuaded by it or impressed by it. Just some food for thought.
Although possibly a good technique and fun to explore I question what situations this is technique would be most effective in. Any ideas?
November 30, 2006 7:10:00 PM MET
I find it really useful.
In order to play with politicains, you have to know their game. Kinda to beat with with using their weapon. what if you have to defend good cause and have a PR or politician agains you??
And i find it really useful cause it enhances your expressing/communication skills. being more precise, more concrete, chosing the right words, more careful about the way you express your self.
and the questions are really challenging when you want to get to know someone/something. when you tend to brake some barrier, when they are stubborn, or cant see what you mean, or just to find the best solution etc.
but the difference is that in those challenging conversations we dont tent do impress 3rd party(audience).
i personally find it very useful cause in this way other people can challenge me. you can make me understand your point of view, can help me think and evaluate or make a decision about something that matters to me while talking to the person..it kinda thinking with both heads...
December 1, 2006 8:39:00 PM MET
Post a Comment
<< Home