How Astroworld’s “Blame Game” Prevented the Formation of Institutional Public Memory

Authors

• Vedant Patil, Rice University

Abstract

This paper looks at why the 2021 Astroworld tragedy in Houston did not become institutional public memory despite its scale and impact. Institutional public memory refers to the formal recognition of collective trauma through memorials. Drawing on media analysis and Vilanova’s (2025) study, this paper argues that the absence of an official memorial stems largely from racialized media narratives that placed disproportionate blame on the predominantly Black audience and hip-hop culture. This framing took attention away from structural failures such as poor crowd control and event planning, which reduced institutional pressure to memorialize the victims. While spontaneous community memorials demonstrated a clear desire for collective remembrance, they lacked institutional support and remained temporary. The paper also highlights how the absence of official commemoration limits shared emotional recognition using Houdek and Phillips’ (2017) framework. Ultimately, Astroworld illustrates how contested narratives and blame can prevent tragedies from becoming lasting public memory.

Recommended Citation

Patil, Vedant (2026) "How Astroworld’s “Blame Game” Prevented the Formation of Institutional Public Memory," RhetTech: Vol. 8, Article 5.
Available at: https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/rhettech/vol8/iss1/5