[ad_1]
Rep.-elect Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) on Tuesday made the case for restoring civility in public debate after he went on “Saturday Night Live” to accept an apology for a joke about his appearance that was widely criticized.
“On Saturday, Pete Davidson and SNL made amends. I had some fun. Everyone generally agreed that a veteran’s wounds aren’t fair game for comedy. Maybe now we should all try to work toward restoring civility to public debate,” Crenshaw wrote in an op-ed for The Washington Post.
Crenshaw appeared on the sketch comedy show’s “Weekend Update” segment alongside Davidson on Saturday after the comedian drew overwhelming backlash earlier this month for mocking the politician’s eyepatch.
Crenshaw wears the eyepatch because of an injury he sustained while serving as a Navy SEAL in Afghanistan.
The veteran, who won his midterm election last week in Texas’ 2nd Congressional District, wrote on Tuesday that he agreed the joke was not acceptable, but felt he didn’t have to “fan the flames of outrage” in response.
He said he was reluctant to appear on the show initially, but ultimately joined for a segment that poked fun at Davidson and delivered a message about Veterans Day.
“I was happy with how it worked out. But now what?” Crenshaw wrote. “Does it suddenly mean that the left and right will get along and live in utopian harmony? Maybe Saturday’s show made a tiny step in that direction, but I’m not naive. As a country, we still have a lot of work to do. We need to agree on some basic rules for civil discourse.”
Crenshaw suggested that political debate should focus on ideas, which he called “fair game” for criticism. He argued that Americans should refrain from personal attacks, or from making assumptions about an individual’s intent in an effort to improve discourse.
[ad_2]
Source link
