In difficult times, we find support in many different things. For some, it is a warm cup of tea before bed, a favorite TV series watched for the 45th time, with the dialogue playing in your head faster than it does on the screen, a walk in the park, or a fun night out at a club with cocktails decorated with little umbrellas. There will always be those who crave attention from loved ones, genuine conversation, an exchange of energy, and hugs. It is all so natural, so human, so simple and understandable.
But over time, we grow accustomed even to the most difficult circumstances, and that changes our needs. Boiling water with tea leaves and a warm conversation are no longer enough. We no longer want to remain in a gloomy mood — and that is when good old sarcasm mixed with dark humor steps in.
Jokes about death, pain, and despair distract us, filling life with that much-needed sense of relief. Things may be unbearably difficult, but isn’t that what comedy is built on? If someone can laugh because of suffering, then perhaps it was not all for nothing. And maybe one day we ourselves will quietly laugh at our own despair. Paradoxical as it may sound, bad times often bring our society more humor than good ones do.
But is it always appropriate? Can a joke miss the mark and only stir up negative emotions even more? Is everyone capable of appreciating this form of self-expression? And is there not some thin line that perhaps should not be crossed?
Recently, the Ukrainian brand Syndicate, after presenting its collection at Ukrainian Fashion Week, released a T-shirt bearing the phrase “Sorry, It’s My First War,” prompting mixed reactions online. As usually happens, opinions were divided: some liked the message, some were indifferent, while others found this flirtation with dark humor completely inappropriate. People were outraged by such an abrupt attempt to attract attention through the subject of war, which, in their view, bordered on “mockery.”
But as the saying goes, bad publicity is still publicity. So, given the growing demand, Syndicate nevertheless put the controversial T-shirts on sale after the show, highlighting, that the brand had not intended “to capitalize on the war or demonstrate a careless attitude toward it.” Before launching the design, the team discussed the idea both within the company and with people outside it, hoping to take different experiences and perspectives into account. Yet despite all the right and wrong steps along the way, the company eventually withdrew the T-shirts from sale.
Without a doubt, using phrases like this is always risky. But if we set aside the fear of stepping onto thin ice, is there not some truth in it? Isn’t this the first war for independent Ukraine? Did we really have any idea how we were supposed to behave — or, even more so, what we were supposed to feel — at such a painful and critical moment? Haven’t our lives been swept into a vortex of uncertainty and danger?
And while some people have enough strength to carry on while preserving their familiar worldview, there will always be others who prefer to look at everything through a thick layer of sarcasm seasoned with dark humor. And do they not have the right to do so? Does every item a brand releases really have to appeal to everyone? Or is there still room for different opinions? And if so, where exactly is the line that absolutely must not be crossed?
We have countless brands that use loud phrases, eye-catching headlines, and provocative advertising campaigns. And with the arrival of artificial intelligence, doing this has become much easier. Now, instead of an hour-long brainstorming session, you can simply take a recent scandal, generate viral content — and voilà: everyone’s attention is already on you.
Another corrupt official eating pies in a café, or Angelina Jolie unable to resist the seductive dresses of an online store from Ternopil. Does everyone like it? Of course not. Does it attract attention? Absolutely. That is how marketing, PR, and other promotion-related industries work.
Has everyone on the planet already heard about Kanye West’s swastika merchandise? And despite its appalling message, it still found buyers, didn’t it? Business methods have no moral compass — and neither, for that matter, do all people.
No matter how you look at it, war remains a sensitive subject, and unfortunately, that is entirely natural when a problem remains unresolved. We still do not know when or how it will all end, when our lives will return to their familiar orbits, when those responsible will be punished, or when the pages of daily shelling and air-raid alerts will finally be turned.
And until that happens, any mention or reminder of this bloody war will provoke polarized reactions, angering those for whom the pain is still raw. There is no — and probably never will be — a single clear answer to this moral question. Marketing will keep playing its games, and society will keep playing its own.
Maybe I am wrong, but don’t judge me too harshly — this is my first article in which dark humor is not my favorite literary device, but the subject of discussion.
Author: Viktoriia Hridina
