The Commodification of Kindness
You’ve seen the videos, but is there more to the story?
In recent years, #kindness content has taken the internet by storm. These videos range from social experiments to small acts of charity to life-changing generosity. It’s likely you’ve seen a few of these yourself:
- A homeless man is taken for a day out at Disneyland.
- Someone pretends to be homeless and asks strangers for a dollar. He then gives a bundle of cash to the one who accommodates.
- Influencers ask strangers to hold their flowers for them and then walk away.
Unsurprisingly, the responses to these videos are overwhelmingly positive. After all, what kind of sociopath doesn’t feel good watching people being helped? However, despite how it may appear, #kindness content doesn’t fit so easily into a moral binary.
Of course, when a person in need is handed 10k, their joy is as authentic as it gets. This isn’t up for debate. However, while I am profoundly affected by this, the broader context mars my appreciation of the act itself. But, I hear you say, doesn’t the act render the context immaterial?
From the utilitarian perspective, absolutely.
