As Global Trade Stalls, Suez Canal Memes Take Over the Internet

by John Konrad (gCaptain) Most news organizations have a serious view of events when a major incident in one of the world’s most critical which costs many billions of dollars a day. Some grow more serious when they learn of the risk of pollution and personal injury facing the marine salvage team responsible for removing the wreck of the Ever Given. But not the Washington Post (WaPo), apparently.

Today, the “Washington Post TikTok Guy”, journalist Dave Jorgenson dressed up as a ship captain and pretended to crash a ship after getting distracted by a video of Reese Witherspoon.

@washingtonpost

The ship – which is twice the height of the Washington Monument – was wedged sideways across the canal. No, the captain wasn’t actually on TikTok.

? original sound – Tara’s Mum and Dad

Shortly after the video, which has received over 20,000 likes, was posted gCaptain received a flood of messages and emails from readers. Some were amused by the skit but others were offended.

This video is certainly not the only meme recently created about the ill fated ship. The most popular memes focus on a scene feature Austin Powers trying to turn the ship around in a narrow hallway.

Someone just sent me this and I can't stop laughing.#Evergreen #EVERGIVEN #Suez pic.twitter.com/MxTLwt50AB

— Jeff Gibson (@GibbyMT) March 24, 2021

Others have focused on the earth mover that’s trying to dig out the ship’s bow:

The Suez Canal situation has yielded some great meme templates. pic.twitter.com/8JWkHkBwd1

— Matt Whitlock (@mattdizwhitlock) March 25, 2021

I put my feelings into a meme.

[image description: a picture of a cargo ship blocking the Suez Canal with the words "My spring break to do list" written over it. In the lower corner is a bulldozer–much smaller my comparison–with the words "what I got done" written next to it] pic.twitter.com/pbNEDvcJvV

— Adam Hubrig (@AdamHubrig) March 25, 2021

Today’s Comic: We are all, in our own little way, that ship. pic.twitter.com/GVDjLxzErX

— Chaz Hutton (@chazhutton) March 24, 2021

This one hits a little too close to home. #EVERGIVEN @pfb360 pic.twitter.com/jsA4YVB6Ig

— thad g (@my2fish) March 25, 2021

pic.twitter.com/fUGAbiq7yB

— Elizabeth Joh (@elizabeth_joh) March 25, 2021

Even the guy with the digger has a Twitter account now. He wants everyone to know he’s doing his best but he’s not making any promises.

Some online are coming up with their own salvage plans:

Tension rises over new attempt to re-float ship in #SuezCanal #EVERGIVEN #oott pic.twitter.com/EOHZS3qQmM

— ForexFlow (@forexflowlive) March 24, 2021

Others are starting to come up with alternative plans…

All the vessels right now! #SuezCanal #EVERGIVEN #Evergreenlines pic.twitter.com/mlbj0PUsgB

— Kallang Wave (@Kallang22) March 24, 2021

Ok, this meme is too good. pic.twitter.com/EQGIGEeqEa

— Amro Ali (@_amroali) March 24, 2021

We are with Suez on this ;)#SuezCanal pic.twitter.com/bsVQxPQfRJ

— Leeway Brokers (@LeewayBrokers) March 24, 2021

? pic.twitter.com/PIiNkh3Lgp

— hot angry goth wolf (not that one) (@fffwankie) March 24, 2021

The Suez Canal Authority hasn’t gotten the ship unstuck yet but they did make this great sizzle reel of them not getting the ship unstuck set to what sounds like a royalty-free version of the Tenet soundtrack https://t.co/WEf27ekums pic.twitter.com/ZRTeO3m7yU

— Josh Billinson (@jbillinson) March 25, 2021

Other news organizations have taken an even more sophomoric approach focusing on a a Trackline that some believe looks like a… ahem, flaccid penis.

Cargo ship drew a penis and butt before getting stuck in Suez Canal https://t.co/ZjRuTTCllO pic.twitter.com/fM6Wuzv8Wp

— New York Post (@nypost) March 25, 2021

But is the ruin of a fellow captain’s career, billions in losses, and the blockage of COVID Critical supplies aboard that ship a laughing matter? ¯\_(?)_/¯ What do you think?