Reviewing Our Last Podcasts - 3/19/19

Today, Mr. Rivers was not in class and we spent the period planning for our podcasts (that we will be recording tomorrow) about Thank You For Smoking. In order to be able to organize our segments in our podcasts tomorrow, Mr. Rivers left some points of discussion and questions to think about on Google Classroom:

A) Consider the three questions that will guide your podcast. They can be found in your notes or on our class blog page.
B) How can you organize your podcast so you answer those questions WITHOUT JUST responding to one question at a time like you're responding to a survey. Use today's discussion to gather evidence and form segments that help you to address the questions through conversation and discovery. Remember, this is still a podcast! It shouldn't sound like an out-loud version of a short answer test prompt.
C) We've talked extensively about the conservative representation of the tobacco companies and the liberal representation of Senator Finistirre, but what about some of the other forces in this film? News media? Entertainment media? Advertising media? 
D) Consider Brecht's metaphor of the boxing match-- which ARGUMENTS win and which arguments do they beat? Are the fights close?
E) As always, try to center your conversations around cinematic choices from the film and have fun!

Just as a friendly reminder, the three questions (as referenced in A) to guide our podcast are:
1. How does the film use satire to make arguments about the tobacco industry and/or the government's attempts to control the tobacco industry?
2. How might the satire paradox affect the way audiences interpret the film's arguments?
OPTIONAL FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
3. How would this film be different if it were Thank You for Vaping? Could that satire improve society?

My group discussed how the satire paradox effects the tone of the movie, about both conservatives and liberals. We decided to try our best to stay neutral in discussing both sides and view them through the lens of the film. Personally, I thought it was interesting that the main character, Nick Naylor, is a likable character despite the fact that he tries to make big tobacco appear to be a charitable company that does not contribute to cancer.

The film Thank You for Smoking is one that encourages good discussions about political parties, big business, and journalism. I am looking forward to seeing how the rest of the class analyzes the movie...so good luck on the final podcast tomorrow!