On June 22, the U.S. Coast Guard confirmed that OceanGate’s Titan submersible imploded within hours of the initial descent to explore the Titanic wreckage, which took place on June 18. The “catastrophic event” happened upon reaching a depth that the Titan could not withstand, and five people lost their lives in the process. Shahzada and Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, Paul-Henri Nargeolet, and Stockton Rush all passed away at the beginning of their excursion.
In light of the tragedy taking place, Hamish Harding’s stepson, Brian Szasz, made a name for himself in the news, having decided to attend a Blink-182 concert while his father was missing and become internet famous for his perceived lack of care.
While the world waited with bated breath to discover what happened to the sea vessel, Szasz was making plans that nothing in this world would disrupt. There was music to be heard and partying to be done, and it seemed that Szasz wasn’t going to put those plans on hold to determine if his stepfather was okay.
The internet has been largely less-than-sympathetic regarding the entire situation, and a new wave of social media posts regarding the Titan tragedy focuses on Szasz and a fake Blink-182 song. The videos highlight Szasz’s final tweet before deleting his account after receiving a hefty dose of backlash:
“It might be distasteful being here, but my family would want me to be at the Blink-182 show as it’s my favorite band, and music helps me in difficult times.”
Cardi B was outspoken among many who have called him about his tweet and actions before his social media deletion, saying: “You’re supposed to be at the house, sad… Isn’t that sad that you are a whole f****** billionaire, and nobody gives a f*** about you? Like you missing, and motherf****** are ready to shake d**** at concerts.”
After the original Szasz post, a TikToker made his move, and a Blink-182 song was reworded in a way that seems to paint Szasz in a negative light.
“My dumb stepdad drowning in a submarine. I’m rocking at the blink show. I’m going to get his money. My dumb stepdad drowning in a submarine. I’m gonna be a millionaire, and all I did was nothing.”
Now, Tiktok has exploded with videos highlighting the fake Blink-182 song that stems from the account ULTRAGABE.
The fake song is certainly not going away anytime soon, as many users are crafting their videos alongside the original sound, but it’s important to remember that five lives were lost as they set off to be explorers. While the tragedy is eliciting different responses from everyone as more details become available, responding to the news — or even the reaction of those like Szasz — with crass humor and mocking insults is simply insulting all the lives lost in the implosion.