Half a million people signed up to storm Area 51

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2019/07/13/half-million-people-signed-up-storm-area-what-happens-if-they-actually-show-up/

by bjoko • 7 years ago

31 15 7 years ago

washingtonpost.com

hourislate• 7 years ago

By Friday evening, more than 540,000 people from around the world had signed up to attend the joke Facebook event: “Storm Area 51, They Can’t Stop All of Us”

I'm curious how many of these folks are now on a US Government List. How will this affect any travel plans to the USA? How will this affect any additional scrutiny directed at US Citizens on that list.

I think the organizers forgot that the US Government doesn't joke or care for humor.

Just stating the unintended consequences in this day and age of participating in social media events.

lonelappde• 7 years ago

If everyone is on the list, then no one is on the list.

TimTheTinker• 7 years ago

I wonder how many people (i.e. what percentage of the US or world population) would have to be on the list for it to reach this inflection point.

wolco• 7 years ago

This is not a list worthy event.

Now the people who actually showed up..

morkfromork• 7 years ago

They should move Burning Man to Area 51.

travmatt• 7 years ago

I imagine there is some low level soldier tasked with reading the posts in the group to ascertain the actual threat, I wonder if they’re amused or annoyed. Occasionally someone in the group asks if people are serious, the usual reply is ‘nice try FBI.’

Uehreka3• 7 years ago

I feel like folks on Hacker News constantly underestimate how much you have to do to end up being someone the government is seriously interested in.

I’ve been commenting on HN in a saucy and flagrant way about the US government for years. And let’s not be coy: I’d gladly sign up to storm Area 51 with these bozos and take home my own alien trophy.

Here’s the kicker: Tomorrow I’m flying from Dublin to Philadelphia. I’ll reply to this comment if I make it through security in America. If I don’t reply within 24 hours, I beseech everyone to downvote me to oblivion for my painful naïveté and baseless arrogance.

King-Aaron• 7 years ago

hello are you still alive

Fjolsvith• 7 years ago

The downvote option goes away after a few hours, so you're not going to lose any Karma even if you are in detention.

Uehreka3• 7 years ago

Forgot to update at the 24 hour mark, but nope, no problems at all.

nabla9• 7 years ago

How about storming some those Alien child detentions center at the border as a joke?

prepend• 7 years ago

I think they tried that already [0].

[0] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-46339085

dang• 7 years ago

"Eschew flamebait. Don't introduce flamewar topics unless you have something genuinely new to say. Avoid unrelated controversies and generic tangents."

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

Half a million people signed up to storm Area 51

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