Bending over Backwards

Ehler-Danlos never looked so good. I recently went to the latest Cirque de Soleil show, Kooza, and as always, was blown away. In some ways it's a traditional circus with clowns, acrobats, jugglers and contortionists, but as always with the Cirque, the music and choreography take it where no other circus can go. Among the acts are a trio of contortionists who do unbelievable things with their bodies. I actually have no idea of their medical condition but Ehler-Danlos would have to be a good guess.
At the onset I was somewhat put off, it struck me as a bit of a freak show. Their act,though, was so incredible that it was impossible not to be drawn in, and I cheered as much as the next guy by the end. Later on, however, I started to wonder why my initial reaction was repulsion. I think it had to do with my concern that this was exploitation of a person with a medical condition, just like circuses of old with midgets and giants. The fact that they all look like children, given their size and stature, doesn't help that impression.
But there are other genetic mutants that don't bother me much. I watch entire basketball teams of Marfanoid giants without thinking of their medical background. (Yao Ming may be the exception) I suspect that all non-drug-using olympic athletes must have some kind of genetic abnormality, be it strength, speed, or the ability to spend thousands of hours doing monotonous repititions of mindless exercises. In fact, was Einstein's braininess anything but a mutation of some sort?
So I guess it all comes down to exploitation. If the individual with the condition is cashing in and is in control, who am I to say there is anything wrong. On the other hand, I have seen dwarf tossing, and no matter who's in control of the cash there, it seems all wrong.