Where will you be on September 20, 2019? Will you be one of the myriads of people bound to show up at area 51 or will you be one of the larger group sitting on the edge of your seat to see what happens? What started supposedly as a joke has taken on a momentum of its own and and now has over 1.5 million people claiming they will be attendees. The event, called “Storm Area 51, They Can’t Stop All of Us” obviously seems to have been started more as a joke than anything else. The details of the group say, “We will all meet up at the Area 51 Alien Center tourist attraction and coordinate our entry. If we naruto run, we can move faster than their bullets. Lets see them aliens. “Naruto, of course, refers to the famous screaming Japanese cartoon character known for running with his arms outstretched behind him. Multiple Facebook Groups have been spawned for both the serious and silly to regurgitate their thoughts on the matter, fortunately mostly in jest.
Area 51 is one of the United States’ most top secret military bases. On its website, a description says that it, “provides the warfighter a flexible, realistic and multidimensional battle-space to conduct testing tactics development, and advanced training in support of U.S. national interests.” For decades, people have claimed that Area 51 is hiding aliens and crashed UFOs at the site. It is a common destination for conspiracy theorists and tourists alike. They are all, of course, run off of the property by armed soldiers. In response to a request, and under the Freedom of Information Act, in 2013 the CIA admitted that Area 51 is a government facility for testing spy planes.
The military urges people to stay away. Air Force spokeswoman Laura McAndrews said that they are aware of the event. She said , “The Nevada Test and Training Range is an area where the Air Force tests and trains combat aircraft. Any attempt to illegally access military installations or military training areas is dangerous.”
The group “plans” to meet up at the Area 51 Alien Center, where they will develop a strategy and get organized. The nearby “Little AleInn, has been inundated with calls and reservations. “It’s insane. Our phone literally has not stopped ringing,” owner Connie West said. She has about 30 acres of land that she rents to campers for $15 a night. About 60 people have already booked their spot on the day of the event. Ms. West says that this is something she has never experienced on a day not associated with an organized event. “Apparently, people are taking it seriously,” West said. “I think they’re stupid if they think they’re going to get to the test site, but I’m gonna capitalize on it.”
The event page was started by a 20 year old man from California, identified only as Val. “I just thought it would be a funny idea for the meme page,” Val said. “And it just took off like wildfire. It’s entirely satirical though, and most people seem to understand that.” One meme about the event says, “The funniest part about this Area-51 thing to me is realizing someone in the Pentagon had to explain to a general what a Naruto Run is with a straight face.” One can only hope that no one shows up for the event, since the military is obviously taking this seriously. Let’s hope that when September 20th comes around, no one shows up.
