[ad_1]
Pete Davidson's appearance on Saturday Night LiveWeekend Update segment grabbed a lot of attention on Sunday with his comments about his real-life break-up with performer Ariana Grande.
That left a poor-taste joke poking fun at the physical appearance of candidates running for office initially overlooked. But as the clip spreads, backlash started about Davidson's move to mock Republican congressional candidate who wears an eye patch.
Dan Crenshaw, a Navy SEAL candidate who is running as the Republican candidate for the US House of Representatives for Texas's 2nd Congressional District, lost his eye in an IED explosion in Afghanistan. He's a veteran fighter.
In the segment, Davidson said Crenshaw looks like "a hit man in a porn movie." He immediately acknowledged the mean-spiritedness of the comment and said, "I'm sorry I know he lost his eye in war or whatever."
Weekend Update co-host Michael Che anticipated the outcry before Davidson even started the joke. After a photo of Crenshaw with an eye patch on the screen, Che lamented, "Come on, man." But Davidson carried on.
After his Crenshaw print, he moved to a Democrat, "so I look fair." It was not all attacks on right-wing candidates, but still.
Crenshaw posted on Sunday, noting "I hope[[SNL]that they do not want to see their wounds used as punchlines for bad jokes. "
Good rule in life: I try hard not to offend; I try harder not to be offended. That being said, I hope @nbcsnl that they do not want to see their wounds used as punchlines for bad jokes.
– Dan Crenshaw (@DanCrenshawTX) November 4, 2018
A bevy of responses followed, assuring the candidate that joking about his injuries was in poor taste. People who have been trained in the fight against physical appearances and trained veterans have a low blow (even if it is not the worst rhetoric of our country in recent years).
Yeah, some people dress up and think it's cool; some poke fun at wounded warriors. Both are bad and should be treated as such. If you think one is ok and not the other, check your bias.
– Matt (@RealEnglishMatt) November 4, 2018
Pete Davidson mocking candidate GOP Dan Crenshaw because he wears an eyepatch after he lost his eye right in an IED blast as a Navy SEAL was truly abhorrent and rotten to the core. And the fact that so-called "joke" was approved by an entire staff of writers is horrific. #SNL
– Joseph A. Wulfsohn (@JosephWulfsohn) November 4, 2018
Pete Davidson's "joke" was fat and never OK to joke about. Period.
That said, Tuesday's SO much bigger than SNL. It's about GOP that wants to privatize our VA. It's about the 1-in-10 vets who depend on Medicaid, that GOP wants to cut, and more.
So, VOTE!
– VoteVets (@votevets) November 4, 2018
Thank you for your service It's sad that Pete Davidson and @nbcsnl do not recognize what you have sacrificed. That said, you will be welcome to the US House https://t.co/nLS6Jp8WYd
– Sean Spicer (@seanspicer) November 4, 2018
The "unhinged left?" That's where you go? I do not know Pete Davidson's political views, but this liberal thinks his joke was lame and mean. But I think your post is worse, bc Pete is a dumb actor. You're a political leader spewing hate against an entire group of ppl
– CeeJayGee (@butchcjg) November 4, 2018
Rep. Pete King from New York, who was also included in the segment, took to Twitter to call for Davidson's or someone at NBC's firing. An ironic request from a man who has a president who has been mocked by a reporter's physical disability, insulted a Gold Star family, and a disappeared John McCain's military service. Trump's still got His job.
None of which excuses Davidson's remarks SNL. He may not be held to the same public as a politician (at least in the pre-Trump era), but that does not mean he can get away with spouting whatever mean-spirited garbage he wants.
Mashable has reached out to NBC for how we will update this story once we hear back.
[ad_2]Source link
