At the heart of this story lies a sweet story of a popular kid (Zach) who befriends a freshman with autism (Graham). On the Today Show, Kathy Lee honors Zach for his act, but seems to have no understanding of how friendship, empathy or compassion works. She views the interaction as a popular person displaying heroism by taking pity on a poor unfortunate soul. Throughout the interview, she seems intent on contrasting Graham's loneliness and Zach's popularity. You can clearly see Graham's growing discomfort as the interview progresses.
Throughout the interview, Zach attempts to steer Kathy Lee in the right direction. Rather than focus on autism, he says it's tough being a freshman. When Kathy Lee asks if Zach got any flack from his friends, he changes her negative tone to a positive one about Graham's newfound tenacity for making friends.
Just when you think things can't get any worse, Kathy presents a song (an unbelievably dreadful song) she has written about the incident called "All Alone." She clearly does not want to share her spotlight with these kids. The song is no less insensitive than Kathy's behavior during the interview. Instead of focusing on the friendship, she zeros in on the pain and loneliness, reducing Graham to tears. When Graham says the song was too depressing, they all burst into laughter. Kathy then spends a few minutes patting herself on the back for birthing this horrible piece of dreck into the world. I feel bad for the woman she hired to sing it.
The final insult is when Zach is presented with gifts for being nice to the another human. There are no gifts for little Graham. By rewarding an act of humanity with material gifts, you entirely miss the point.
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