Hello Human Kindness!

I have been seeing this commercial for the past couple of months, and it makes me cringe inwards every time. Admittedly, this is not the point, and many people may not see the same thing I do, but I digress.

The commercial above by Catholic Healthcare West, now renamed as Dignity Health, seems to depict a scene on an ordinary, busy street. In the midst of the traffic, an elderly woman with a cane and some type of luggage attempts to cross to the other side. This, of course, causes a lot of cars to stop and start, trying not to hit the woman, but at the same time, trying to get on their way. As this takes place, a caption appears, "Are we inherently kind?" Immediately afterwards, one car stops, and the driver gets out. He walks over, takes the luggage from the woman, and holding her hand, walks her to the other side, during which time another caption appears, saying, "Yes." At this point the commercial ends, and the words, "Hello humankindness", followed by Dignity's logo comes onto the screen.

I really do not know whether the video was filmed professionally, or whether the incident in the commercial really occurred as portrayed. Whichever one it may be, it is obviously an example of pathos, in which the healthcare giant is attempting to capture the emotions of the audience. By juxtaposing the question of whether humans are inherently kind next to the incident mentioned above, Dignity is obviously trying to imply that, like the man in the commercial, they too are kind and considerate towards their clients. They also may be trying to inspire a bit of guilt among those who see the commercial, in that they, like the other drivers on the road, may be a bit impervious to those who are in need around them.

My problem with the commercial, however, comes from the fact that the video seems so faked. In the first half of the video, the woman crosses so slowly and carefully, as if she is physically incapable of doing so in any other way. And yet, the moment the driver holds her hand, she is able to walk perfectly fine. Not only that, but with the way Dignity's logo is used at the end. "Hello humankindness" as it is put in the commercial. The term "human kindness" (the correct spelling of it anyway) is so vague. There are many different meanings that can be attached to this phrase. What is human kindness? Is it helping someone simply for the joy it brings? Is it instinctual, or is it a learned behavior? The list goes on and on. And yet, the majority of people will agree that there are generally positive connotations associated with these words, the very connotations Dignity is trying to exploit.