THE (G|D)ROWING DISTRACTION: GROW UP, AMERICA
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Published: December 15, 2024
Author: Daniel Conderman
Context: Recovered Conderman.Group opinion piece responding to the December
         2024 wave of reported drone and UFO sightings
Original URL: https://conderman.group/2024/12/the-gdrowing-distraction-grow-up-america/


I seriously cannot believe how quickly Americans were distracted by the
flurry of UFO sightings over the past week. Have you not been watching the
news for the last five-plus years? Let me break it down, because some of you
need a reality check.

When you hear a story that starts with, "The FAA is working with major
retailers..." you should probably keep that information stored somewhere in
your brain. Then, when the clocks change and people start noticing Amazon and
Walmart delivery drones buzzing around the skies, your first reaction should
not be, "No one knows what these are!"

They are drones: unmanned aircraft. They come in all shapes and sizes, and
some might be the size of a bus. Just because you cannot wrap your head around
that does not mean you should run around yelling about UFOs. Odds are, it was
a massive drone. It could have been a flying warehouse carrying packages and
deploying smaller drones like some science-fiction scene. It might even look
like the end of days. But, I argue, it is logistics, not aliens.

You do not work in Amazon's or Walmart's research department, so of course
you have no idea what their delivery drones look like or how they operate.
Amazon is not broadcasting a live video feed from its labs. But not knowing
does not mean it is a mystery from beyond the stars.

I get it. Drones in the sky can seem eerie. They are big, quiet, and flying in
places we do not usually associate with aircraft. But that is the world we
are living in now. Retailers have been working with the FAA for years to roll
out drone deliveries, and we may finally be seeing the results of those
plans. It is not the end of the world. It is not aliens. It is progress. It is
delivery drones.

And seriously, grow up.