Men are crying over a 1975 shipwreck, and it says something about modern masculinity

This fall, trending topics have taken an unexpected turn. Instead of pumpkin spice lattes or football, the internet is talking about a decades-old shipwreck.

Social media has been packed with posts and theories about the 1975 sinking of the Great Lakes freighter, the SS Edmund Fitzgerald. The massive cargo ship went down in a Lake Superior storm over five decades ago. All 29 crew members on board were killed. No bodies were ever recovered, and, to this day, no one knows for sure what caused it to sink. 

A year later, singer Gordon Lightfoot turned the tragedy into his haunting song "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald," which climbed to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Now, decades later, the story is back in the spotlight.

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The online trend, nicknamed "Edmund Fitzgerald Fall," has turned the ship's story into a viral topic of conversation. Nov. 10 marked the 50th anniversary of the wreck. 

Many viral uploads featured archival footage of the ship set to somber music, some receiving tens of thousands of likes on social media. Others showed men listening to Lightfoot's song or trading theories about the reason the ship sank. Users posted Halloween costumes inspired by the tragedy, and a news thread on X about the wreck had more than 22,000 posts.

In a GQ story, "How the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald Became Every Guy's Favorite Historical Maritime Disaster," the outlet described the fascination as a "cult-like interest" that predominantly resonates with men.

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The article suggested the shipwreck has become a way for men to connect about history, while expressing feelings they might not typically share.

"I think that men are talking about it because it allows men to be sad," Kathryn Winn, author of the Memeforum Substack, told GQ.

The GQ piece argues that "Fitzgerald-mania" isn't just about shipwreck trivia, but about men finding a sense of community and permission to be vulnerable about a topic that still feels rugged and masculine.

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Wisconsin comedian Charlie Berens posted a clip joking about listening to Lightfoot's song with a friend, then hugging afterward. The post has garnered over 119,000 views on TikTok and 48,000 views on X, formerly Twitter. 

"It's not crying when it's about the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald," he commented on the video.

Larger accounts have also commemorated the anniversary of the ship's sinking. Barstool Sports posted about the tragedy on X. The Weather Network shared a "Seinfeld" clip about the Edmund Fitzgerald on TikTok, which drew nearly 271,000 views. Apple TV also reposted a character from its show "Severance," whistling a portion of Lightfoot's song about the tragedy.