NewWatcher

I also want to second everything LIGirl said about "This may sound stereotypical." When all my East Asian/Eurasian girlfriends have had VERY similar upbringings, it's not so much straight-out stereotyping as there is some basis in truth. I won't re-type LIGirl's entire post, but it gets two thumbs up from me and I nodded my head so hard reading her post that I think I threw my neck out

Like LIGirl, I was raised in an East Asian/Caucasian American environment (and then some). Without writing a novel, I would say that my favorite instance from my mother was when she thought breast cancer would cure me of my problem - namely, having a chest. I almost didn't find Elena overly sensitive. The one time she got upset, John and another man (couldn't figure out his name) were ganging up on her, and I've seen women at work (and I work in a male-dominated industry) from ages 18-80 walk away crying from something similar. Also, as others have said, her mother couldn't have been a positive influence. I am absolutely shocked her mother didn't abort the pregnancy or place the child with an adoptive family. John, autism, DS, etc. or not - I found him abrasive, and I know plenty of people like him without autism or DS. I also find that he's mimicing the crude/straight-forwardness of hip-hop culture, and he probably thinks it's "keeping it real." Again, I know he has DS, so it may not be that he fully realizes it, but I know plenty of non-DS/autistic folks who act like him. Lastly, on Elena, I can also see how she got upset about the DS thing/label. There is something not-too-common about me (can't give too many details or else it'd be too revealing), but growing up and even into adulthood, I was constantly referred to as this. Let's say I was missing a leg. it always "There's Jane; she's missing a leg." "Jane, how'd you lose your leg?" Across a room "Is SHE MISSING A LEG?' and on and on and on. Being a woman, with hormones, etc. even at 18, 20, etc. it still got to me that the most important thing about me was my missing leg. LIGirl, I, too, saw Monica & David, and loved it. Cried my eyes out. I hope this documentary treats its subject like M&D did - not a crass, exploitative show.