Someone already put up an eBay auction for supposed debris from the shuttle accident. Scott over at Gamer’s Nook pointed it out. eBay has already taken the item down, but someone else will post another one in short order I’m sure.
Try not to let this sort of thing bother you too much. It’s more than likely some kids trying to be funny or just out to piss people off, which it will. Someone may actually get ahold of some debris and try to auction it off, but the government will probably make him or her regret that move once they catch wind of it.
I can appreciate sick humor as much as the next guy and I’ve been known to make the occasional joke about the first shuttle accident, but you kids out there who think you’re being funny should stop and consider that you should at least give folks some time to get over the shock before making any attempts at humor on tragic topics. Unless, of course, your aim is to piss people off and make them not like you. Then you’re doing just fine. Keep it up and you’ll be hated pretty quickly.
I don’t claim to be any kind of a humor expert, but even when I do tread on touchy subjects, like my reference to the serial sniper a few months back, I try not to make it disrespectful of the victims of the situation. I can see how you might argue that a fake auction of shuttle debris and any resultant bids it gets might be a way of dramatizing the ridiculous tendency that people in general, and Americans in particular, have of profiteering from anything they can, but I honestly don’t think you folks put that much thought into it.
Posted on 02/02/2003 at 02:44 AM 
You’re absolutely right.
It’s still creepy, though.