Teens' Burning Twin Towers Costume = Most Offensive Idea Ever
Today in horrible news: Two friends in England thought it would be hilarious to wear Halloween costumes depicting New York City’s twin towers burning to the ground. They've issued an apology for their actions, but that hasn't stopped the story from going viral, with people expressing their outrage and disgust.
Amber Langford and Annie Collinge, both 19-year-old students at the University of Chester, sent the following statement to the British newspaper, The Sun, which broke the story: “We never meant to be offensive, but we apologize if any offense was caused. The idea was to depict a serious, modern-day horror that happened in our lifetime and was not intended as a joke.”
On Oct. 31, as part of a Halloween contest at Rosie’s Nightclub in Chester, the women wore cardboard cutouts of burning skyscrapers labeled “South Tower” and “North Tower.” Each featured protruding fiery flames and figures of people jumping to their deaths on September 11, 2001. They also wore hats in the shape of burning airplanes with American flags stuck to them.
Even crazier: The women won “best costume” and $240 worth of shopping vouchers. Langford’s father happens to be a retired pilot who was flying United Express jets when al-Qaeda struck that day. He's expressed his disgust, telling the Sun that he would “have a little chat” with his daughter.
Although Yahoo Shine couldn’t reach a spokesperson from Stonegate Pub Company, the company that runs Rosie’s, a rep told the Chester Chronicle that a hired D.J. displayed “serious error in judgment” for awarding them the prize. Ironically, Rosie’s dress code slogan is “Dress to impress,” and the bar bans boots, sportswear, and hooded sweatshirts.
The University of Chester and Chester Students’ Union also released a joint statement: stating they "utterly condemn the appalling photos which have been shared on social media. Both organizations have begun an urgent investigation into the circumstances around which these images have been taken with a view to taking the necessary action.”
It's obviously the year of offensive Halloween costumes and mind-blowing lack of judgement. A Michigan woman named Alicia Ann Lynch recently lost her job after a photo of her wearing a Boston Marathon bombing victim costume went viral. And after a Florida mother posted a photo of her sons dressed as deceased teen Trayvon Martin (with blackface) and George Zimmerman, the man acquitted of his murder, she was also fired from her job.
R.I.P., society.
