Dan Crenshaw: Porno hitman or disrespected wounded vet?

Great Debates
#1

So on Saturday Night Live this past week, Pete Davidson described Dan Crenshaw, a candidate for the US House in the Houston area as looking like a “hitman in a porno movie”

Thing is, Crenshaw lost his eye as a SEAL in Afghanistan.

So as you might imagine, the usual suspects have their panties in a massive twist about it, claiming that Davidson is making fun of his injury, and isn’t respecting veterans and all sorts of other stuff.

Never mind that Crenshaw has literally plastered his eyepatched face all over his campaign stuff - making it part of his visual brand, so to speak. The only way he could have made it more so is if his logo was literally a stylized eyepatch or something. I kind of figure that if he does that, he’s opening himself up for whatever ridicule he gets. Had he not made it part of his campaign, I’d probably feel differently.

I’m not a fan of Pete Davidson; he’s about the weakest link on today’s SNL, but this joke made me laugh out loud- Crenshaw DOES look like what a hitman in a porno would look like.

Am I off base here? Is there more to it that I’m missing? Am I just insensitive and disrespectful?

#2

I saw this story on the AP today, and going by Crenshaw’s response and how he played the oh-so-tired victim card, I think he’s a self-serving self-righteous asshole.

And yeah, the phrase fits his look perfectly.

#3

Just like the rest of the GOP, he’s turned a blind eye to all the disrespect Trump shows the military.
He should be used to it.

#4

I wasn’t terribly happy when Trump ridiculed a disabled reporter and this didn’t make me terribly happy either.

That said, aren’t the conservatives the ones screaming about the PC thought police trying to “shut down humor” and “act like the fun police”?

#5

Military PC is by far the worst form of PC.

He’s supposed to be some tough guy but can’t take an eyepatch joke? Get real.

#6

Comedians saying offense things is less of a problem in my view than Presidential candidates (and later, Presidents) saying offensive things.

Imagine Robin Williams wearing a tan suit. No big deal, right?

Now imagine Obama doing it:

#7

“His disability makes him look amusing to me” certainly isn’t something we hear very often in polite society, particularly as to a wounded soldier. There was outrage (from “the usual suspects,” I guess) when it seemed like Max Cleland’s opponent was questioning his patriotism in light of the injuries he’d suffered in combat. I don’t think it really changes anything to say that the injury was to his face, and that he’s putting his face in his campaign ads. It would have been unthinkable to suggest that Cleland should have somehow hidden his wheelchair from his campaign ads, after all.

Given Davidson’s own struggles with mental illness, I’m a little surprised that he’d be the one to mock someone else’s disability, moreover. Maybe he feels like it gives him a certain immunity.

#8

"In a sternly worded statement, [RNC] spokesman Jack Pandol said of Davidson: 'Getting dumped by your pop star girlfriend is no excuse for lashing out at a decorated war hero who lost his eye serving our country. "

Disagree. It’s a once in a lifetime great excuse.

The guy has about the only disability that makes you look badass. Hard for me to get too worked up about it.

#9

I just want to know what porno movies the guy is watching, where he’s seeing hitmen?

“A hitman in a cheesy action movie” would be a more logical cheap shot.

#10

It’s totally inappropriate to compare a Navy SEAL veteran and war hero such as Crenshaw to a porno pirate. They should be comparing him to Solid Snake.

#11

His eyepatch covers his missing eye and is a part of his face. Candidates put their faces on political material all of the time. How is he supposed to advertise his picture without being accused of “making it a part of his visual brand”?

#12

Pretty much the whole bit (YouTube link) was Pete Davidson making fun of candidates’ appearances. “This guy looks like…” Juvenile cheap shots, but IMHO funny.

I don’t know if there’s a reasonable distinction between making fun of someone’s disability and making fun of someone’s appearance, but if there is, this was in the latter category IMHO, and in pretty much the same category as making fun of someone for being bald or fat or short or whatever.

#13

Among the “usual suspects” today were Kenan Thompson [.

And a whole bunch of talking heads on CNN](https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2018/11/04/snl-pete-davidson-dan-crenshaw-sot-nr-vpx.cnn).

If you’re going to make fun of people’s disabilities, you have to expect some blowback.

#14

The way I see it, it would be one thing if Crenshaw had gone the Ted Cruz/Beto O’Rourke, etc… route and had a campaign logo that didn’t actually have his eyepatched face front and center. Doing that makes you fair game for jokes, especially if you ha

And my favorite…

https://www.opslens.com/2018/01/20/navy-seal-glass-eye-envisions-winning-us-congress-seat/

So yeah, he’s wearing an eyepatch instead of his blue & gold Navy SEAL glass eye? Gee… guess that’s not quite as visually arresting as a pirate-style eyepatch.

#15

The man is missing an eye. And it was lost in combat in military service. Why does it matter if he wears a glass eye or an eyepatch?

If a Republican made a similar joke, it would be an outrage.

#16

Well, judging from press coverage, it pretty much is an outrage to a number of people. It was, however, entirely consistent for a sketch where Davidson skewered several politicians entirely on the basis of appearance. Where’s the outrage for his comments on Peter King (“a cigar come to life”) and Rick Scott (“if someone tried to whittle Bruce Willis out of a penis”)?

Personally, I think Crenshaw doesn’t take it far enough. He should grow his hair out, don leathers and go full Snake Plisskin.

#17

Yeah, he should toughen up, laugh it off.

“Well, I never tried out for porn, but I *did *audition for Director of SHIELD…”
At it is, he’s a shallow man who has no depth perception.

#18

For what it’s worth, I think the best response to this sort of thing was FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler’s “I would like to state for the record, that I’m not a dingo.”

#19

When SNL stops being edgy, they might as well just shut the thing down.

Having said that, I’m not going to endorse making fun of someone who was wounded in combat. Crenshaw, though, should take the high road and say something like: Yeah, while I was fighting in Afghanistan, Pete was making a run for worst comedian on the show; and WINNING!!. Or maybe something a bit more clever than that. :slight_smile:

The guy is an ex Navy SEAL, so he should have a thick enough skin to rise above this sort of thing.

#20

Didn’t Davidson’s father die on 9/11?