This Sunday marks the 15th anniversary since the tragic events of September 11, 2001, which Donald Trump would have totally prevented if he was president, with Mark Wahlberg as his veep. A common rallying cry in the days and months following two planes being flown into the World Trade Center, another into the Pentagon, and a fourth that crashed into a Pennsylvania field was “never forget.” Walmart soda displays and tasteless ads probably aren’t how the 2,996 people who died that day want to be remembered.
A mattress company in San Antonio, Texas, is being criticized for making what’s arguably the most offensive commercial of all-time. The Miracle Mattress ad opens with three people standing in front of a stack of mattresses that look like the Twin Towers. When the woman in the middle raises her hands, the two men standing behind her pretend to fall into the “towers” while she screams in horror. She then adds, “We will never forget.”
Neither will the internet, which is horrified by the curious commercial.
uh, that miracle mattress commercial making fun of 9/11 is horrifying and highly offensive. sick fucks.
— gi (@tdopomackles) September 9, 2016
The comments on the company’s Facebook page aren’t much kinder.
9/11 IS NOT A DAY FOR YOU TO HOLD A SALE. IT IS NOT A HOLIDAY, IT IS NOT A DAY FOR YOU TO MAKE MONEY!!!!! IF YOU THINK THIS IS RIGHT THEN YOU NEED TO GET YOUR HEAD CHECKED AND FIRE YOUR MARKETING DEPARTMENT!!!!!! HAVE A SALE ON THE ANNIVERSARY OF YOUR MOM OR DADS SALE AND SEE IF THIS FEELS RIGHT!!!
To say you had a serious lack of judgement would be an understatement. I hope that all of your customers start to shop somewhere else. Absolutely disgusting.
You and your business are disgusting. How dare you spoof a national tragedy for your profit. I hope no one does business with you again.
I would like to say a few things but all I am really going to say is I am a retired police officer who spent two weeks in NYC digging through the rubble looking for survivors. Imagine what I saw. Imagine what I see everyday. Imagine the pain people feel. Your video was disgusting and you are a disgusting person for even thinking of the video. I hope your happy with your celebrity status.
Store owner Mike Bonanno apologized for the commercial, saying, “The video is tasteless and an affront to the men and women who lost their lives on 9/11. Furthermore, it disrespects the families who lost their loved ones and continue to struggle with the pain of this tragedy every day of their lives.”
Companies should “never forget” to stop using 9/11 to enhance their #brand.
(Via Miracle Mattress)
