These British Dudes On A Bachelor Party Who Brought A Blow Up Doll To The 9/11 Memorial Are A Case Study In Awful Judgment

So this group of five British dudes traveled to New York City for a bachelor party and carried a blowup doll around with them as they explored the city. Kinda funny. Kinda played out, but kinda funny.

They decided to bring their inflatable friend by the 9/11 Memorial on Friday, just two days before the 15th anniversary of the attacks that ended the lives of 2,977 people and within 5 years, will kill over 3,000 more due to fatal toxic exposure from the Twin Tower debris.

They posed for pictures with the doll, using the recessed pools at the footprint of where the Towers stood with names of the fallen inscribed on them as their backdrop.

Spectators who witnessed the dudes having a grand old time called the police who reportedly asked the guys to leave. They complied.

Opinion time!

For those of you who have been to the 9/11 Memorial, you’d probably agree with me that it feels like a living, breathing entity. It’s like a magnetic force. I visited it with my family last year and it was one of the few times in my life I’ve seen my father cry. I’ll admit I wasn’t prepared to be met with such an all-encompassing mishmash of grief, anger, national pride, and perspective. It was overwhelming, but oddly therapeutic. I underestimated the power of paying tribute.

So for me I’m not as outraged with these dudes as I am confused. How can you be so unaffected by the presence of something so powerful, never mind downright sad? I saw a handful of people weeping while running their fingers over the names inscribed on the walls of the pool, and if a bunch of dudes rolled up with a blowup doll snapping pictures for their Instagram, it would be difficult to process. These guys are probably not the worst guys in the world but if you’re going to exercise poor judgment and lack of awareness, the last place on the planet you’d want to do it is at a memorial for America’s deepest wound. Be better, dudes. Be better.

[h/t Buzzfeed]

Matt Keohan Avatar
Matt’s love of writing was born during a sixth grade assembly when it was announced that his essay titled “Why Drugs Are Bad” had taken first prize in D.A.R.E.’s grade-wide contest. The anti-drug people gave him a $50 savings bond for his brave contribution to crime-fighting, and upon the bond’s maturity 10 years later, he used it to buy his very first bag of marijuana.