The drones are everywhere, and Black internet is concerned. After weeks of complaints, the frenzy is reaching a new peak as mysterious drone sightings in New Jersey and now in parts of New York and Connecticut continue to ramp up, even leading government officials like Senator Cory Booker share concern about the lack of transparency from federal government officials about these alarming sightings.
“There hasn’t been enough transparency,” the Black Senator from New Jersey explained to CBS News. “It’s allowing a lot of potential misinformation to spread or fear. We should know what’s going on in our skies.”
The Senator is certainly right about that, as the conspiracy theories have taken off on the internet, especially the Black internet. You know how it goes, we will absolutely bring up some conspiracies in our conversations and online as we already tend to be pretty wary of things. And now, even one of the biggest Black politicians in the country is stating his concern about drones, which makes matters even more worrisome. Naturally, the conversation has taken to social media with their ideas regarding the origin and meaning of these large, mysterious drones that are reportedly 6 feet in size, per AP News.
One user on X, formerly known as Twitter, echoes what many are feeling, writing that in their opinion there are two options when it comes to these drones, that “they really don’t know what they are and, therefore, our air defense is extraordinarily weak,” or “they know what they are but can’t say.” They added, “Not sure which is crazier.”
The same user also gave “tin foil” takes, that either the drones are aliens (classic) or that they are our government themselves.
The fact that the government seems to be just as much in the dark as we are certainly doesn’t help matters either! We have gotten little confirmation from federal government officials in the days since the sightings increased. Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said that they have “no evidence” that the drones are from an adversary or a foreign entity. She also said that the drones are “not U.S. military drones.” Again, still not making any of us feel better!
The House Homeland Security Committee also addressed concerns over the drones with the FBI in a now-viral TikTok from CBS News, with a representative confirming that they are “actively” investigating but they “don’t have an answer” for who is responsible. Again, the lack of answers has only led to more speculation, as seen in the comments of the Tiktok alone.
As ABC News has reported, the rise in conspiracy theories surrounding drones has even led to a massive Facebook page. Titled New Jersey Mystery Drones — let’s solve it, the page has nearly 44,000 members as of Friday. On the page, theories are able to run wild as residents share their video footage, photos and sightings, while also offering their own suggestions for how to handle the situation, with some even suggesting shooting them down themselves.
As Senator Booker shared when shooting them down was suggested, he explained, “Safety first. You’re over populous neighborhoods and areas,” while adding that Jersey is the most densely populated state in America.” He added, “The most important thing right now is the safety and security of our communities.”
Of course, along with the conspiracy theories, has come some levity on the internet as well, with some just marveling over the situation in general. One user on X took a little jab at the state of Jersey, writing, “Alien 1: You know where we should go next? Alien 2: Where? Alien 1: New Jersey.” Another shared the same sentiment, writing, “Of course the alien invasion would start in New Jersey.”