Beyond tone-deaf: The worst tributes to the 9/11 attack

Pro-tip: if you’re going to do a tribute to the victims and survivors of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, don’t use planes. On September 11, 2001, hijacked planes crashed into the World Trade Center and The Pentagon. One crashed near Camp David after passengers overtook the hijackers in a heroic effort to stop them.

The victims’ families, members of the NYPD and FDNY, and first responders who served on 9/11 will forever live with the horror of that day. Generations who were alive on 9/11 will always remember where they were and what they were doing when they heard about the attacks.

Whether they were at work or school, the day that the largest terrorist attack on U.S. soil was carried out will live in infamy, like Pearl Harbor or the Kennedy assassination for generations before. So it’s important to get a tribute right and not reopen a wound in the process. However, some people still didn’t get the memo.

The fighter jet tribute

Here’s a tasteless idea: honor the victims of a terrorist attack involving hijacked planes with a low-flying plane over the Hudson River. However, a planned military flyover to “honor the victims” was still scheduled for September 11, 2020.

After New York City officials announced that an F-18 fighter jet would fly over the Hudson River at 3:30 on Friday, massive backlash ensued. Staten Island representative Max Rose blasted the idea in a tweet. “Are you out of your mind? Cancel this immediately,” he said.

We all remember not only the original hijacked planes but also the fighter jets on 09/11. This is literally like tearing open a closed scar until it bleeds again just so you can throw some salt on it.

— NYCINOC (@nycinoc) September 11, 2020

Many New Yorkers were unhappy, considering the idea tasteless. One resident, Michael Henry called it “a crappy idea”. Another man called the decision “tone-deaf”, tweeting “PTSD is real, and this will definitely trigger some people.”

Many New York City residents were traumatized after 9/11. A low-flying plane in New York would be a massive trigger for someone who lived through the attacks. Also, fighter jets were dispatched to intercept Flight 93, the plane that crashed near Camp David, so the fighter jet would spark other horrible memories from that day.

NEW: Department of Defense cancels controversial NYC flyover scheduled for this afternoon. @NY1

— Joel Siegel (@joelmsiegel) September 11, 2020

The flight was being conducted by the U.S. Navy. The Navy later stated the flyover was unrelated to memorial events. The event was canceled after the backlash.

Official 9/11 Memorial Practices Today

Public commemorations at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum have continued with name readings and the Tribute in Light. For the 25th anniversary, organizers added a seventh moment of silence to recognize deaths linked to 9/11-related illnesses.

These practices focus on the names of the dead, survivor stories, and quiet reflection rather than any imagery that could trigger trauma. The contrast with commercial or entertainment stunts that use plane silhouettes or falling figures remains stark.

Miracle Mattress crash and burn

To commemorate the fifteenth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Miracle Mattress thought it would be a good idea to recreate the attacks using their mattresses. Worse, they were promoting a “twin towers” sale to capitalize on the day. After a swift backlash, they apologized and closed their doors indefinitely.

“What better way to remember 9/11 than with a twin tower sale?” Miracle Mattress manager Sherise Bonanno chirped on her tasteless ad. “Right now, you can get any mattress for a twin price!” The commercial ends with two guys crashing into mattresses stacked like the World Trade Center.

Later reports indicated the store planned to reopen after the 2016 apology and closure.

Come on, Devo!

Through the years, we’ve had not one, but two distasteful 9/11 cosplays. The first was in 2015 when a couple had a 9/11 themed wedding. One of these people was Jerry Casale, Devo's co-founder, singer, and bassist. The nuptials came with a wedding cake of the World Trade Center with the bride and groom’s faces on it.

However, the guests didn’t seem fazed. “Jerry has real heart as an artist, and is a super sweet guy,” one guest said. Casale is known for his strange sense of humor, as evidenced by box cutters on guest place cards for some reason.

After photographs of the cake and place cards circulated, Casale issued a public apology.

DragonCon 9/11 cosplayers

The second was a couple at Dragon Con in 2016, who thought it would be a good idea, since Dragon Con was on the fifteenth anniversary of 9/11 that year, to dress up as the flaming twin towers, complete with Barbie dolls representing “the jumpers.”

The jumpers are people who were trapped above the crash site who jumped out of windows after it was apparent they wouldn’t be rescued. The people trapped above where the planes hit had two choices: jump, or wait to die in a crumbling building.

Making a costume out of one of the most chilling aspects of 9/11 is just wrong, needless to say. Dragon Con officials agreed and dispatched security to escort the couple from the building and take their badges. However, they only stayed an hour outside, so they weren’t apprehended.

“Based on other photographs we have seen, we do not believe that these individuals were members of Dragon Con, meaning that they had not purchased badges that would have allowed them to enter the convention,” the official statement elaborated.

Absence of Similar Major Incidents Post-2020

Extensive coverage from 2021 through 2026 shows no new high-profile commercial or cosplay controversies that match the scale of the earlier cases. Searches for plane-imagery ads, mattress-style promotions, or jumper costumes tied to 9/11 anniversaries turned up nothing comparable.

The documented examples remain tied to the 2015-2020 window. Public attention since then has focused on official ceremonies rather than commercial missteps.

Why Respect Still Matters

Each of these incidents shows how quickly an attempt at commemoration can turn into another source of pain for survivors and families. The lesson from 2020’s canceled flyover to the 2016 mattress ad remains the same: the safest tributes avoid any reference to planes, falling figures, or the towers themselves.