Japan posts 9/11 memes after taking offence to Barbenheimer atomic bomb memes

Memes linking 9/11 to the Barbie and Oppenheimer films are flooding the internet, in protest of people shamelessly mocking the atomic bomb and its impact.

Ever since Barbie and Oppenheimer were released in cinemas last month, the internet has been filled to the brim with Barbenheimer memes. While most have harmlessly mocked the stark contrast between the two films, their visuals and themes, some have reportedly gone too far and made fun of real victims of the atomic bomb.

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Whether intended or not, many people have said the memes are insensitive to the people of Japan and are now fighting back with their own memes, depicting the US tragedy of 9/11 with Barbenheimer imagery.

Social media has essentially become a battleground ever since, with many giving their opinions on the place memes have with real-world tragedies.

One Twitter user directly called out the people making the memes, saying: "The atomic bomb should not be used as a meme and turned into a comedy. Do you know how many people were brutally murdered by the atomic bomb? Will Barbie advertise the Holocaust as well? Shame on you."

Even the official Warner Bros social media teams have come under fire for encouraging the memes. The Japanese branch of Warner Bros recently stated: “We find it extremely regrettable that the official account of the American headquarters for the movie Barbie reacted to the social media postings of ‘Barbenheimer’ fans.

“We take this situation very seriously. We are asking the US headquarters to take appropriate action. We apologise to those who were offended by this series of inconsiderate reactions.”

The American branch has provided an apology, saying: “Warner Brothers regrets its recent insensitive social media engagement. The studio offers a sincere apology,”

Both Barbie and Oppenheimer have been highly-controversial releases, which was to be expected given they both have very strong messages about society as we know it, but I don’t think anyone was expecting it to get this heated.