Area 51 Meme Explosion

Apparently, Naruto running isn’t the best way to dodge bullets. A better idea would be not trying to storm a US military base. Although this plan sounds crazy, it has taken the internet by storm.

It all started on June 27 when a college student named Matty Roberts created a Facebook event to raid Area 51—as a joke. Unexpectedly, millions of people RSVP’d to come and “see them aliens.” The plan to raid Area 51 on September 20 exploded and became one of the biggest memes of the year.

Although most people saw it as a joke, the government took it as a serious threat.

“I think its absolutely stupid,” sophomore John Holiday said.“The meme is funny, but it shouldn’t be taken seriously. I still think some people will actually go.”

In fact, some people have already tried trespassing on the Nevada National Security Site—including two youtubers from the Netherlands. They were caught and arrested on September 10.

Luckily, Roberts no longer plans to raid Area 51. Instead, he has arranged a music festival called “Alienstock” in Rachel, Nevada. However, since Rachel only has 100 residents and doesn’t have the accommodations for such a large event, the town is in a state of emergency. Roberts claims he will supply water, food trucks and other arrangements, but people are afraid of a “Fyre Festival 2.0.” 

“Things often get blown out of proportion. If it was first meant as a joke, then people shouldn’t take it seriously because people can get hurt,” sophomore Chloe Manning said.

Alternatively, there will be another event in LA September 19. The event is sponsored by Bud Light and will be used to promote a limited-edition alien-themed beer. About 8,000 people are expected to attend this safer option. 

“I think they’re just going to waste their time,” senior Michael Licalsi said. “But if they do something like a music festival instead, that would be cool because you could get to meet new people.”

Although the Area 51 raid started out as a joke, it managed to explode into a massive event. And even if we don’t get to “see them aliens,” we’ll still have the meme.