In 1912, the ill-fated luxury cruise ship Titanic collided with an iceberg on its maiden voyage, ultimately leading to the death of over 1,500 passengers and crew.

It was one of the worst catastrophes of the modern age, and understandably, many regard the tragedy as being still too raw to be considered a subject that would be fit for commercialisation.

Enter Kmart Australia, which recently raised eyebrows with the introduction of a 'controversial' pen holder that apparently made light of the Titanic disaster.

The product in question features a mini Titanic and a mini iceberg floating around in some type of clear liquid. When the figurines are moved around, they constantly collide with each other, and it appears as if the Titanic meets its ill-fated end whenever it approaches the iceberg.

Kmart has raised eyebrows with a controversial new product that makes light of the Titanic tragedy. Credit: TikTok/_millie_diana_.

Adding to the suspicion and confusion of many was that the Kmart merchandise was released shortly after a submersible boat imploded on a trip to visit the seabed wreck of the Titanic just a few weeks ago, causing the tragic death of five passengers.

That prompted some people to compare the two misfortunes.

One Kmart shopper, who has shared footage of the pencil holder on social media, was equally left stunned.

'They did not! Good one, Kmart,' she wrote in the comments section beneath the post.

Her reaction was echoed by many who engaged in the conversation, one writing: 'Next it will be a submarine,' and another questioning, 'Now, where's the submarine?'

The Kmart product raises two crucial questions: What are the ethical consequences of commercialising a tragedy like the Titanic? How should we distinguish between paying tribute to an event or exploiting it?

Answering these questions is undoubtedly challenging, but it's important that a certain degree of sensitivity and respect is shown towards both the tragedy itself and the people impacted by it.

Key Takeaways

• Kmart Australia has released a new product that ill-humouredly references the Titanic tragedy.
• A consumer publicised the stationery item on social media, showing a mini Titanic hitting a mini iceberg within a pen holder.
• The controversial product has raised many eyebrows, especially in light of last month's disastrous Titanic submersible incident.
• Fellow Kmart patrons referenced the recent incident in their reactions to the new product on social media.

Members, we would like to hear your thoughts on this Kmart item. There are some people who consider it 'insensitive', while others see it as nothing more than a fun and harmless product. What do you think? Please share your opinion in the comments below—we value your input and would love to hear from you!

 

[Argie]

it was a bloody iceberg.

I think you misunderstood.She means not enough life boats to save more people

 

[KSS]

So does this mean that we should never ever buy anything that can or could be linked to a historical event where people died? That would include Viking helmets for fancy dress (those civilisations were a bloodthirsty lot raping and pillaging across northern Europe), no pirate costumes and stuffed parrots (they had no such sensitivities about killing those that did not comply with their polite requests to hand over goods and property), then, of course, there is all the war memorabilia including paintings and photographs, kids toy guns and model soldiers and so much more. These 'professional' whingers need to get a life and stop complaining about a plastic monstrosity snow-dome without the snow. Unless of course, they are complaining about the poor quality of the product. A cheap plastic toy is offensive for being a cheap plastic toy, no other reason. And if anyone's sensibilities are disturbed by the thing, JUST DON"T BUY IT.

 

[rathompson]

If you don’t like it don’t buy it, then KMart won’t stock it if it doesn’t sell. I used to love these sort of things when I was a child, they were fascinating. I can’t see anything wrong with the toy, some people are just getting too precious and politically correct nowadays. Be happy and stop complaining about every little thing and concentrate on the important things in your life - family friends etc.