Down for Love

For the reviews saying this show is exploitation of people with Down syndrome, I say that is a lot of absolute rubbish. This first series (and hope there are more to come) is genuine and heart warming and it has lessons for all of us.

You follow the story of several people with Down syndrome whilst looking for love.

I actually was reminded of what is the most important thing in life whilst watching this show and that is love.

I loved getting glimpses into their family life and feeling the excitement of them going on their first date and hoping it would go well for them.

Like everyone in life if you take the time to listen, they have lessons to teach us and I definitely felt them and listened. These singles were full of wisdom. I really hope we get another season as I was absolutely invested in their love.

This is a very challenging series. On the one hand it seeks to portray the search for love of young adults with Downs Syndrome with sensitivity, and on the other it attempts to avoid any exploitation or stereotyping. Not an easy task. And it is understandable why some parents with Downs kids are cautious with their praise for the series.

On balance, I think that the series does a very good job with a most difficult task. It gives you a real insight into the fact that these people are just like you and me. They may have some limitations but at the core they are you and me. Desiring love and companionship.

Get your tissues out or let the tears dry on your face. I am compelled to these genuine guys & girls in search of love.

There are moments that instantly hit my heartsrings & make me assess my own personal relationship.

Carlos's love for Aelinor is as pure & honourable as anyone could give.

He has set the new standard in romance that we can only aspire to.

Shakespeare , Casanova ,Steinbeck & Marcus Aurelius combined would struggle to match his prose.

Sorry to all the lovely lovely people in these 5 episodes, & I hope they all find happiness, but Carlos is Cupid himself.

& he doesn't need a bow & arrow.

He has Aelinor & he is her French God of love .

Also in Romeo mythology (see what I did there) Carlos is the son of Aphrodite & Ares with a bit of Tzatziki sauce specially reserved for Aelinor.

I love this show and it's stars. Let's stay positive and not look for criticism. The fact that the name of the show is offensive to some is not the most important thing about the show. Thank you Netflix for this gentle, loving show and thanks to those kind enough to share their stories. The people who have raised these young people are very kind and loving. It's refreshing to see people who are stripped of anger and criticism and who understand the essence of acceptance and love. I have known a couple of people with Down syndrome and they had very kind, upbeat personalities. I truly miss them. This show educates and helps people see that everyone needs love and acceptance.

This is a wonderful series, produced in consultation with the New Zealand Down Syndrome Association. It's about adults with DS---handled with sensitivity, humour and respect---and the challenges and joys they face (like the rest of us) in pursuit of romantic love. It showcases the fundamental importance of love, reminding us that we're a pair-bonded species, and that regardless of our circumstances or the hand we've been dealt by life, we should remain resilient and never lose hope in matters of the heart.

Anyone who claims this is exploitative is not only ignorant but patronising towards people with DS. We must stop infantilising those with disabilities by not treating them with condescendence. Every individual who participated in this series is an adult who's already had some public exposure, is confident and enjoys the limelight, evidenced by their interest in activities like acting, modelling, being on social media etc. It's no different to any other adult without a disability who decides to partake in dating shows like these, except the daters on this show have a great deal of supervision and familial engagement and support.

My 20-year old niece with DS loved this series so much that it made me emotional just watching her face as she laughed, cried and cheered for the couples. Condescension is hurtful and isolating so please before you make judgments based on your ignorance and prejudices that are thinly disguised as sympathy, reflect for a moment on why you'd ever view this show as "exploitative" or "sad".

Sympathy of this kind is demeaning, presumptuous and a tad bit arrogant. It disempowers, and DS adults do not want to be treated as eternal children or labelled and segregated based on their diagnosis. Don't assume that they can't defend or speak up for themselves. Don't dehumanise but equally don't idolise and give them special treatment by putting them on pedestals. Recognise that they are regular people with special needs and unique abilities who have the right to be represented and who are capable of making decisions and giving consent. Most of them are a great deal smarter and wiser than some of us without developmental disabilities.

They are not helpless children and don't wish to be treated as such. Let's include people with all disabilities fully into our society by allowing them the same platforms as the rest of us, including one such as Netflix. I'm not denying that exploitation does occur but in cases like this, the self-righteous forget that their sometimes misplaced defence of people with disabilities can be more detrimental than helpful.

Apologies for my rant but common sense is becoming so uncommon these days that one has to treat an IMDB review as an opportunity to express and point out the obvious.