4 ms·

This makes me curious how the upcoming raid on Area 51 will go.

LandR 7y ago
Is this an actual thing? I thought it was a joke, is it meant to be a joke but some people are going to turn up having it taken it seriously? Not an American, but I feel that could go badly.
- Tade0 7y ago
  I guess part of the appeal is that nobody knows how many, if at all, people will show up.
  - stronglikedan 7y ago
    Another part of the appeal is that nobody may ever know how many people, if any, actually showed up.
    - ptero 7y ago
      And of those that did show up, how many were people :)
- michaelmior 7y ago
  I think whether or not it was started as a joke is somewhat irrelevant now that over 4K people have signed up. It seems likely that at least of few those people will actually try to show up. https://www.facebook.com/events/area-51-groom-lake/raid-area-51/390597074903624/ https://www.facebook.com/events/area-51-groom-lake/raid-area...
  - xtagon 7y ago
    Actually, over 2 million people signed up. The original page was taken down.
    - Mathnerd314 7y ago
      And then put back up a few hours later.https://www.ktnv.com/news/storm-area-51-event-page-removed-by-facebook https://www.ktnv.com/news/storm-area-51-event-page-removed-b...
  - Mathnerd314 7y ago
    4K? Try 2 million: https://www.facebook.com/events/area-51/storm-area-51-they-cant-stop-all-of-us/448435052621047/ https://www.facebook.com/events/area-51/storm-area-51-they-c... The latest seems to be that they're organizing a festival called "Alienstock" in the desert near Area 51, maybe it could end up being similar to Burning Man or it could also just be a scam. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/aug/21/will-alienstock-at-area-51-be-the-new-burning-man-or-the-next-fyre-festival https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/aug/21/will-alienst...
    - 52-6F-62 7y ago
      Haha. That reminds me of this scene from Independence Day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wr3J11fbRXk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wr3J11fbRXk
    - SketchySeaBeast 7y ago
      2 million millenials RSVP'd on Facebook? If my last birthday party is anything to go by, that means you can only expect my mom to show up.
    - lonelappde 7y ago
      It's the Ayr version of Fyre Festival.
    - michaelmior 7y ago
      I thought that number seemed low based on my previous memory. Thanks for clarifying :)
- squeaky-clean 7y ago
  It's not an actual thing beyond a big in-joke. If anyone does actually show up, it will be something like the pizzagate gunman situation, where they have mental issues. Area 51 is so isolated [0] that a raid by any average person is pretty much impossible, they'll be stopped miles away from the facility. It's a long gravel road just to reach the restricted roads. [1] If you type for directions from Crystal Springs to Area 51 into Google Maps it'll also show the gravel road (and the street-view person also changes into a UFO haha) [0] https://www.google.com/maps/place/37°14'52.9"N+115°48'00.6"W/@37.234709,-115.8179512,7166m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x0!8m2!3d37.24804!4d-115.800155 https://www.google.com/maps/place/37°14'52.9"N+115°48'00.6"W... [1] https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g45991-d117062-Reviews-Area_51-Rachel_Nevada.html https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g45991-d117062...
  - sarah180 7y ago
    You didn't exactly say this, but Pizzagate was not a big joke. Like the Flat Earth Society, many of its originators may have thought of it as a joke or rhetorical exercise, but a lot of people got genuinely pulled into it.
  - lonelappde 7y ago
    The military compound won't be overrun, but local towns are bracing for an surge of idiots arriving the same day.
    - caf 7y ago
      Idiots, it must be noted, who are expected to require food and lodging, provided at a reasonable price by the local towns.
  - LandR 7y ago
    Man, you are not kidding! I didn't realise it was so far from anywhere and that looks fairly inhospitable terrain too.
    - dredmorbius 7y ago

Is this an actual thing? I thought it was a joke, is it meant to be a joke but some people are going to turn up having it taken it seriously? Not an American, but I feel that could go badly.

Tade0 7y ago
I guess part of the appeal is that nobody knows how many, if at all, people will show up.
- stronglikedan 7y ago
  Another part of the appeal is that nobody may ever know how many people, if any, actually showed up.
  - ptero 7y ago
    And of those that did show up, how many were people :)
michaelmior 7y ago
I think whether or not it was started as a joke is somewhat irrelevant now that over 4K people have signed up. It seems likely that at least of few those people will actually try to show up. https://www.facebook.com/events/area-51-groom-lake/raid-area-51/390597074903624/ https://www.facebook.com/events/area-51-groom-lake/raid-area...
- xtagon 7y ago
  Actually, over 2 million people signed up. The original page was taken down.
  - Mathnerd314 7y ago
    And then put back up a few hours later.https://www.ktnv.com/news/storm-area-51-event-page-removed-by-facebook https://www.ktnv.com/news/storm-area-51-event-page-removed-b...
- Mathnerd314 7y ago
  4K? Try 2 million: https://www.facebook.com/events/area-51/storm-area-51-they-cant-stop-all-of-us/448435052621047/ https://www.facebook.com/events/area-51/storm-area-51-they-c... The latest seems to be that they're organizing a festival called "Alienstock" in the desert near Area 51, maybe it could end up being similar to Burning Man or it could also just be a scam. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/aug/21/will-alienstock-at-area-51-be-the-new-burning-man-or-the-next-fyre-festival https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/aug/21/will-alienst...
  - 52-6F-62 7y ago
    Haha. That reminds me of this scene from Independence Day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wr3J11fbRXk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wr3J11fbRXk
  - SketchySeaBeast 7y ago
    2 million millenials RSVP'd on Facebook? If my last birthday party is anything to go by, that means you can only expect my mom to show up.
  - lonelappde 7y ago
    It's the Ayr version of Fyre Festival.
  - michaelmior 7y ago
    I thought that number seemed low based on my previous memory. Thanks for clarifying :)
squeaky-clean 7y ago
It's not an actual thing beyond a big in-joke. If anyone does actually show up, it will be something like the pizzagate gunman situation, where they have mental issues. Area 51 is so isolated [0] that a raid by any average person is pretty much impossible, they'll be stopped miles away from the facility. It's a long gravel road just to reach the restricted roads. [1] If you type for directions from Crystal Springs to Area 51 into Google Maps it'll also show the gravel road (and the street-view person also changes into a UFO haha) [0] https://www.google.com/maps/place/37°14'52.9"N+115°48'00.6"W/@37.234709,-115.8179512,7166m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x0!8m2!3d37.24804!4d-115.800155 https://www.google.com/maps/place/37°14'52.9"N+115°48'00.6"W... [1] https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g45991-d117062-Reviews-Area_51-Rachel_Nevada.html https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g45991-d117062...
- sarah180 7y ago
  You didn't exactly say this, but Pizzagate was not a big joke. Like the Flat Earth Society, many of its originators may have thought of it as a joke or rhetorical exercise, but a lot of people got genuinely pulled into it.
- lonelappde 7y ago
  The military compound won't be overrun, but local towns are bracing for an surge of idiots arriving the same day.
  - caf 7y ago
    Idiots, it must be noted, who are expected to require food and lodging, provided at a reasonable price by the local towns.
- LandR 7y ago
  Man, you are not kidding! I didn't realise it was so far from anywhere and that looks fairly inhospitable terrain too.
  - dredmorbius 7y ago