Search for Titanic submersible unleashes ‘eat the rich’ sentiment online

At first, news that a submersible had gone missing during a voyage to the Titanic wreckage site ignited a wave of shock and concern. The five people on board, now presumed dead, faced a dwindling oxygen supply and a harsh and unforgiving environment deep underwater.

But as more details emerged — about the wealth of those on board, the known concerns with the Titan submersible and comments from the CEO that seemed to disregard safety — empathy gave way to crass humor, with memes mocking the victims appearing across platforms including Twitter, TikTok and Instagram.

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“It’s crazy to think we might only have another 30 hours or so of being able to make fun of the people on the submarine,” said one TikTok user in a video uploaded Tuesday that has 1.4 million views, an apparent reference to the hours of oxygen the passengers had left. Many of the 1,000 or so commenters also made jokes about the voyage. The user did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Research has shown that many use humor — and memes — to cope with tragedy. But as jokes surrounding the missing vessel circulated online, some said they felt the dark humor was ill-timed and in poor taste, given that the rescue operation was ongoing.

Read the full report from NBC News.

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