Is a test a test?
Conspiracy theorists flooded social networks ahead of the Federal Emergency Management Agency testing the Wireless Emergency Alert and Emergency Alert System on Wednesday evening.
The routine event — which will reach cellphones, televisions and radios at about 2:20 p.m. ET — “is to ensure that the system continues to be an effective way to warn people of emergencies, especially at the national level,” according to FEMA.
The phone should only receive one message during the half-hour broadcast, which will announce to the user: “THIS IS A TEST OF THE National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is required.”
TV and radio will receive the same message during the second phase of the test.
A test of the emergency warning system on Wednesday has given rise to conspiracy theories. AFP via Getty Images
In the event of bad weather, the test will be postponed until Oct 11.
However, because phones that are turned off — along with other opt-out options — during the test period will not receive alerts, many theorize that EAS is some kind of trap.
“Definitely turn off the cell phone and the TV…I’m so at a loss as to what to do,” said “tinfoil hat” TikToker Meredith Owen.
Many are skeptical of Wednesday’s Emergency Warning System test.REUTERS
A popular conspiracy is that the test will signal the phone to activate potentially dangerous compounds such as graphene oxide that have entered the human body — just a hint from Samuel Jackson’s sinister plot in 2014’s “Kingsman: The Secret Service” — according to the Columbus Dispatch.
Others fear a Y2K-esque blackout coming from routine testing, while others claim that this is another example of “Simpsons” predictions coming true, as similar examples have been referenced in the hit cartoon.
And then there’s the alarm about a possible zombie apocalypse.
Given that Halloween is less than a month away, some have naturally – and surprisingly – raised concerns that the warning could start a “Walking Dead”-worthy attack.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
