More Love On The Spectrum

These people are STARS!

And it's all based on credibility and honesty.

Whilst RFK, Jr. is saying autistic people will never work, many do... Connor works at the market, as does Tyler White, Tanner works at a hotel and is loved by all, he adds joy to the experience.

Never mind Dani Bowman making a living teaching animation.

Autism is like homosexuality. It exists in every family. To varying degrees. There are those who are nonverbal and those who are just a little bit different. But now we have a label for it. So what we see on Netflix is not completely foreign, we empathize with not only the cast members but their families. It's a constant struggle having a family member on the spectrum, but the rewards!!

Now I don't want to generalize, it's a big spectrum, but many of the people on it are honest and forthright. A welcome antidote to our duplicitous society. And then there is the expertise in certain verticals. Connor Tomlinson is always coming out with factoids that I didn't know, never mind his mother.

Yes, Connor and his mother have a running series of TikToks/Instagram Reels wherein they're in the car and discuss certain topics. It's fascinating to get Connor's take on things, but it's also heartwarming.

Which is the word for Madison and Tyler's relationship.

Now if you're not on these platforms, you don't know that sponsors are all over these people. James talked about his Weber grill, and he got sent a new one.

Now James appeared to be trolling for said grill, and then there's Madison getting tickets to see Katy Perry and asking whether backstage passes are included, and when they are not, she's disappointed.

We are seeing the truth of fame in an unfiltered, unvarnished way. Believe me, these people dig being famous, getting the perks. And no one begrudges them, because otherwise what chance do they have of getting them? It's kind of like Howard Stern's Waack Pack...and if you're a listener, you know that Wendy the Slow Adult is always asking for money...

So this is the third season of "Love on the Spectrum." I've watched all three, and they've all been heartbreaking and heartwarming, but it wasn't until this season that it clicked in the culture at large. Probably because there was finally love, however unanticipated.

It's kind of like a musical act, with three albums. Today everybody expects to hit on the first, that's what the labels want, but your product has to percolate in the marketplace, for years, until people discover it and you ultimately find the winning formula.

Now it is very easy to be completely oblivious to this phenomenon.

First and foremost, you have to have Netflix. And not absolutely everybody does. And although the big shows get reviewed in the media, there is none of the overblown hype of the music and movie businesses, no scorched earth publicity. Rather the show plays and either it clicks with people or it doesn't. It grows via word of mouth.

Now it's not like these cast members were not on TikTok/Reels prior to this season, but once the mania hit, they were ready. You've got to be in the marketplace, have a plethora of material ready for people to explore if they're interested.

Prior to this season I got served Abby Romeo's clips. Where I found out that she made hats. And got more information about her relationship with David.

And then I saw Tanner meet Jack Black on the Kelly Clarkson show. You can watch the video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oxjr265r78

Then there's the episode of the series wherein Madison and Tyler test each other on their knowledge of country music. It's astounding, they're savants, they know EVERYTHING, more than many people working in the business!

These people are fans.

So today I was served up a video of Connor and Tanner at a Toto show:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DMkuYU1saJm/?igsh=MXFzN295N2UxNTFzNA%3D%3D

And I sent the clip to Steve Lukather.

And then I got served up another clip of Tanner actually meeting Luke:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DMkqB4wuP4t/?igsh=MWpuZ2d1cGU2eHltbw%3D%3D

I told Luke what a big deal this was, how famous these people are.
And in reply he said:

"Hey Bob,
I know them.
Just met.
My oldest daughter Tina followed Tanner.
You know my youngest son Bodhi is autistic.. It's close to my heart!

Tina told me this sweet kid loved our band, showed me a clip of him seeing us last time and I reached out.
And invited them out.
I did not know I was being filmed.
I don't do stuff like this for press ever!

But happy to make anyone happy."

And I'm sure Luke is not thrilled that I've included his words, but every time we get together he tells me about his adventures with Bodhi. It's like I know him, and I've never met him.

How long does this phenomenon last? Will we be wondering "Where are they today?" in the future?

Well, I think the mania will die down. Then again, these clips are just about their lives, there's no trick involved.

This is what America is all about.


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