The President's message of not being politically correct seems to have spilled over to the set of Saturday Night Live.
In 2015, then candidate Donald Trump famously said, "We can't worry about being politically correct." Since that time, he has continued to spread the message by mocking and imitating Pulitzer Prize winning New York Times reporter, Serge Kovaleski, who suffers from arthrogryposis, and saying about the late Vietnam War hero and U.S. Senator John McCain, "He's not a war hero. He's a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren't captured."
The era of not being "politically correct" is spreading and showed up this weekend on Saturday Night Live, where comic Pete Davidson compared congressional candidate Dan Crenshaw, who wears a patch on his eye, to "a hitman in a porno movie." Crenshaw is an ex-Navy Seal who lost his eye while serving in Afghanistan.
Davidson began the bit with a photo of Crenshaw over his shoulder saying:
This guy's kinda cool, Dan Crenshaw. You may be surprised to hear that he's a congressional candidate from Texas, and not a hitman in a porno movie. I'm sorry, I know he lost his eye in war, or whatever.
Weekend Update: Pete Davidson's First Impressions of Midterm Election Candidates - SNL youtu.be
For his part, Crenshaw seems to agree with the Republican point of view that people have become too sensitive. He recorded a message for TMZ saying:
"I want us to get away from this culture where we demand apologies every time someone misspeaks."
Dan Crenshaw Says Pete Davidson Making Fun of Veterans' War Injuries on 'SNL' Not Funny youtu.be
Crenshaw also tweeted about the skit.
Good rule in life: I try hard not to offend; I try harder not to be offended. That being said, I hope @nbcsnl reco… https://t.co/TWybONUZ9O— Dan Crenshaw (@Dan Crenshaw)1541358784.0
Many tweeted their thanks to the vet for his service.
@DanCrenshawTX @nbcsnl Mr. Crenshaw, I want you to know that, as someone who opposes basically every one of your po… https://t.co/9uR256y0fA— Møøse Trainer (@Møøse Trainer)1541392283.0
@DanCrenshawTX @nbcsnl Thank you for your service, your sacrifice and your class.— Charles Van Cott (@Charles Van Cott)1541396070.0
@DanCrenshawTX @nbcsnl Thank you for your service. Your civil response sets an example. God bless you and yours. #WWG1WGA— Chris Deliso (@Chris Deliso)1541428183.0
@DanCrenshawTX @DaveWheeler11 @nbcsnl Thank you for your service, sir. I agree.— Nick Amb (@Nick Amb)1541420143.0
Others wondered if there wasn't some hypocrisy going on.
@DanCrenshawTX @nbcsnl That is a good rule. Did you mention it to 45 when he mocked a disabled man? Or a Gold Star… https://t.co/R77wJatW6E— Brenda Haskins (@Brenda Haskins)1541414733.0
If you didn’t have anything to say about Trump’s disrespect of John McCain, the Khan family, or LaDavid Johnson, pl… https://t.co/PTqKDfE9m7— Franklin Leonard (@Franklin Leonard)1541352852.0
@freeinthe216 Because my issue isn’t with Pete Davidson alone. It’s with a culture of disrespect toward vets and th… https://t.co/iXZmQ9sjGY— Franklin Leonard (@Franklin Leonard)1541384094.0
@franklinleonard @freeinthe216 Well said. The hypocrisy of the outrage is a different and larger issue.— Don Cheadle (@Don Cheadle)1541384535.0
Which led to an interesting discussion.
@franklinleonard @freeinthe216 As a veteran, im frankly sick to death of the culture of slobbering and fawning over… https://t.co/Rvc45uv06I— John Ya-Ya (@John Ya-Ya)1541387650.0
@Bigemedic @freeinthe216 Personally I think your service entitles you to appreciation of that service. (Thank you,… https://t.co/QrPx0mEXgx— Franklin Leonard (@Franklin Leonard)1541391658.0
Maybe now that the bar has been lowered, there is no coming back.
@cub1993 @franklinleonard I’m still surprised that this kind of talk is the ‘New Normal.’ We need to stop this on b… https://t.co/w5AXl72xH0— Shrug It Off 🤷🏽♂️ (@Shrug It Off 🤷🏽♂️)1541364588.0
@wardaallen @cub1993 @franklinleonard True but the most powerful man in the world sets the tone for our sensitivities now. Unfortunately.— ReyCo (@ReyCo)1541366154.0
The one thing we can all agree on is that Davidson certainly doesn't look like he is giving an apology, so it's a good thing Crenshaw isn't looking for one.
H/T: Huffington Post, Texas Tribune