9.13.2008

Unclog my cynicism drain

I’m a cynical person – always have been. Really, it’s not just a dry sense of humor. I’m not sure why I have a hard time giving people and situations the benefit of the doubt. I remember a time as a child when my dad told me that while skepticism was healthy and acceptable, cynicism was a less desirable character trait that could skew your perception of reality. And somehow I still chose the dismal science as a field of study . . .

But hope for a more positive disposition can spring eternal, especially after a new commercial I saw on TV. The fact that I even saw this commercial is pretty impressive since I don’t watch many of them. I’m a firm believer that the best invention over the last decade is TiVo/DVR (or at least the best one of the late 90s). I’m all about efficiency and commercials do nothing to help my TV show throughput, hence DVR was an absolute must when we signed up for satellite service.

About the commercial . . . the Make-A-Wish foundation is currently running an ad that tells the story of 6 year old Michael who wished to be a superhero and the local teacher, Mr. Stewart Snodgrass, who volunteered to be his archenemy. After a televised plea from a local newscaster, a costumed “Beetle-Boy” springs into action and saves the fair citizens of Pittsburg from the evil antics of the Green Goblin. The capture climaxes with the GG getting a swift kick in the head. Touching and entertaining. They really know how to sell it (there I go again . . . sorry.)

Anyway . . . I was a little surprised by how much this story grabbed at my heartstrings. My eyes teared up as I wondered who I should call to volunteer to get kicked in the head to make a sick kid happy. I even went so far as to save the commercial so Nate could watch it when he got home. (OCD says immediately delete all watched shows from the DVR harddrive!) That should help you imagine just how powerful this little snippet of advertising genius really is. Like Drano for a cloudy pool of cynicism . . .

If you need positive improvement to your less-than-sunny disposition, or even if you don’t, click the link to see the commercial for yourself:

http://www.wish.org/stories/inspired_creations/videos/beetle_boy

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