As for the interviewees’ responses, many are coupled by concept. Some are as simple as smiling at a stranger, while others are more descriptive, explaining that they would volunteer or let people live in their house. As nice and/or silly as some of these suggestions seem, when the respondents give their reasons, the audience considers the sadness that motivates their proposed kind acts. One woman said she would smile because you can never know if someone is depressed or might “go jump off a bridge.” Depression and suicide are insurmountable problems our society faces due to bigger issues like the recession, intolerance, poor mental health, etc. The woman who said she would welcome people into her home said she would do so because “being homeless sucks.” Homelessness is another devastating symptom of the lagging economy.
As a viewer, I had to consider the negative side of Cullen’s argument much more thoroughly to feel its implications. After viewing the video for the first time, I simply felt happy about the intentions of the video, its purpose and its effect. Only after watching a remediation of the film also included on the JUMP page was I made aware of the actual statistics of some of these societal problems. I reviewed the video again and realized that even though Cullen's intent was to "put some good out there," his question provoked replies that reflected all of the "bad out there."
