Today is a pretty rough one to find comedy on the Internet. It’s been 13 years since the attack on the World Trade Center and there are still many exposed nerves and ongoing issues stemming from that horrific day. While it’s quite easy to offend people with crass jokes or lazily shocking references to that infamous moment, it’s also possible to anger folks by shamelessly trading on the iconography and emotions to shill some product. Comedian (and Parks & Recreation) writer Joe Mande has noticed this trend and has spent today retweeting various corporate accounts who feel compelled to join in the conversation and add to a hashtag.
Some of the messages are simple, but when taken along with the products they are selling, it all becomes a bit of a mess: