Joe Biden Just Called a Woman at One of His Events a "Lying, Dog-Faced Pony Soldier." What?

[Hassin Bin Sober]

Joe Biden Just Called a Woman at One of His Events a “Lying, Dog-Faced Pony Soldier.” What?

https://slate.com/culture/2020/02/joe-biden-dog-faced-pony-soldier-john-wayne-tyrone-power.html


By far, the most common question raised by Biden’s use of the phrase in New Hampshire has been, “What the hell is Joe Biden thinking calling a young woman ‘dog-faced’?” But running a close second is “Is there really a movie in which someone calls John Wayne a ‘lying, dog-faced pony soldier’?” The answer is a resounding “Maybe”: Wayne appeared in 180 movies over 50 years, and who knows what they called him in all of them? But it seems at least as likely that Biden is thinking of a different film: Pony Soldier, a 1952 western from director Joseph M. Newman starring Tyrone Power as a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. “Pony Soldier,” in the context of the film, is a Native American nickname for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and although no one calls Power a “lying, dog-faced pony soldier,” a chief does say, “The pony soldier speaks with a tongue of the snake that rattles,” which isn’t far off:

[stonecutter357]

1. good let's go Joe !

[George II]

2. No he didn't "just" do that. He did it about 8 hours ago and has already been proven he was joking.

[Cuthbert Allgood]

16. So as long as you claim what you are saying is a joke, it's all good?

Seems like a bullshit standard.

[PatSeg]

19. It was joke

Everyone who heard it knew it was a joke.

[Cuthbert Allgood]

25. So there has never been anyone to laugh even when they thought something was inappropriate?

If someone says something they shouldn't have, what needs to be the reaction from the audience before we are concerned? Conversely, if it is something we can all agree is shitty, as long as people kind of laugh about it, then it's fine?

[PatSeg]

27. No, it was a joke

quoting John Wayne, not making fun of anyone.

[Cuthbert Allgood]

30. Nobody has actually been able to find that John Wayne movie, have you?

But claiming it was that when it wasn't is another issue.

So if I quote a Tarantino movie (oh, say, "Does this look like dead n***er storage&quot and people laugh, I'm good? Not saying that's the same as what Biden said, but just trying to get a line drawn here.

And let's not lose sight of the fact that he called the woman a liar. And he has a history of reacting poorly to people that challenge him at town halls. At least he didn't tell her to vote for someone else this time.

[gordianot]

3. Take it from me old people get bitten by nostalgia.

Son you need to lose the homey nostalgia.

[targetpractice]

4. Good lord... The comedy writes itself. n/t

[jmg257]

5. Several Wayne movies referred to Pony Soldiers and Dog-faced Soldiers...

Hondo, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon.

[TexasTowelie]

6. And Bernie Sanders insulted people with mental illness:

Bernie Sanders made a joke about about Republicans at Sunday's Democratic debate that the audience cheered, but maybe they shouldn't have.

The zinger tied Sanders's support for mental health funding to the Republican field: "We are, if [I'm] elected president, going to invest a lot of money into mental health," Sanders said. "And when you watch these Republican debates, you know why we need to invest in mental health."

The audience applauded — and surely this is a line that will resonate with many other Democratic audiences who watched in confusion (and horror) as Republicans spent much of their previous debate making literal penis jokes and discussing yoga and their flexibility.

But Sanders's line used some pretty ugly, ableist language. It referenced people with mental illness explicitly as a means to bash Republicans, and it perpetuated the idea that those with mental illness are inherently dangerous.

Link to tweet

https://www.vox.com/2016/3/6/11171282/democratic-debate-bernie-sanders-mental-illness

[betsuni]

9. This is disqualifying.

[Autumn]

10. No. He insulted Republicans. The impeachment hearings alone proved that he's right.

Maybe the audience shouldn't have laughed when Biden called her a dog face lying pony soldier. As a Democrat who pays attention I agree with the audience laughing at Republicans but not young women at a campaign event.

By the way. the person whose tweet you shared has some very nasty things about Biden and Warren on her twitter feed. Just so you are aware.

[TexasTowelie]

11. Bologna.

I have bipolar depression and being compared to a Republican is insulting.

[Autumn]

12. Bernie clearly said the word Republicans. Biden addressed a young woman at his campaign event.

Perhaps the young woman who was nervously laughing resented being called a dog face lying pony soldier.

[TexasTowelie]

14. Yes, he said the word Republican

and he also insulted people with mental illness simultaneously. Bashing Republicans by making a quip about mental illness isn't a joke. He insulted millions of people with that callous insensitive remark.

[Autumn]

15. You may want to read that twitter feed you promoted to get in that dig at Bernie. That's a

very nasty feed by someone who hates all Democrats. Very disgusting things on there. Have a nice day TT

[TexasTowelie]

20. I don't care what a random person on Twitter says.

These are the words that came directly from Bernie's mouth and they were insulting. He offended millions of people with mental illness along with the people that support those individuals including family, friends, mental health counselors, and other caretakers. That shows a complete lack of sensitivity to the issue of mental health.

[Autumn]

13. You may want to read the disgusting things that person on twitter posts about Democrats on her

twitter feed.

[TexasTowelie]

17. I don't care what some random person on Twitter says.

I do care about what someone who is running for president does. Bernie insulted an entire demographic group with his "joke". If a presidential candidate made a joke about a demographic group that you are a member of, then I suspect that you would be offended.

[Autumn]

23. You cared enough to post what that nasty "random person on Twitter says". Didn't even bother

to go past that one tweet to the really vile, nasty things she posts about Democrats.

[TexasTowelie]

24. That doesn't negate the fact that Sanders insulted millions of people

with mental health disorders or the people that help to support them. His comment was offensive to millions. Are you going to defend that?

[Autumn]

26. He was talking about Republicans and yes, they have some major issues. take care.

[TexasTowelie]

31. He slurred people with mental health issues.

If someone made a comment about Jewish people or Latinx people having mental health issues, I have no doubt that you would find those remarks callous. The comparison that Bernie made was offensive and insulting.

[jcmaine72]

22. So, sticking to the actual subject at hand...

...what's your opinion of what Joe called that woman?

[Autumn]

7. Yes he did and what the hell was he thinking?

Things like this makes me fear that Biden could be an election year disaster.

[Beartracks]

8. Biden feigned disbelief to something the young woman said.

But rather than just expressing mock surprise, like "No way, you're just saying that" -- which jokingly pretends to call someone a liar without using the actual word "liar" -- he phrased it as a fake insult, opting to pretend to call her a liar by, apparently, quoting something from a John Wayne movie that actually had the word "lying" in it. And "dog-faced."

That so many people didn't get that the phrase came from a John Wayne movie is not important. It's quite clear from the video that his use of the phrase was not delivered as an insult.

Notwithstanding that the interchange was clearly just part of Joe's banter with the audience members, I still wonder if the supposed outrage would have gained as much traction if the student had been a guy. It seems to me that the combination of "dog-faced" and "young woman" in the same sentence has proven irresistible to headline-writers looking for a sensational way to mischaracterize Biden. Context is everything, but lots of people won't take time to look for it.

==============

[rockfordfile]

18. That's not true. It was a joke. Why spread right-wing spin?

[jcmaine72]

21. Oy vey!

Yet, Bernie's the erratic one?

[Midnight Writer]

28. Context and intent. Don't judge a statement until you know the context and intent.

[zackymilly]

29. Can't we stop beating this dead pony....soldier?