XAVIER BOATNER
campus editor
xavier.boatner@my.tccd.edu
TCC students voice their opinions following the invasion of multiple Chinese spy balloons.
On Feb. 2, people across the nation caught wind of a then unfamiliar surveillance balloon floating high above the continental United States. According to the NYTimes, US officials confirmed the strange balloon to be part of a Chinese spying operation.
According to CBS News, the initial balloon was shot down on Feb. 4, which has caused tension to stir between the two countries. This has led many to reflect on the incident, and people have begun debating whether or not the frenzy surrounding the balloon’s capabilities or China’s intentions was blown out of proportion.
Some believe that China’s entire spy balloon operation was justified, while others feel China had no business sending unidentified objects into the United States, to begin with.
NW Campus student Robert Flores agreed with the former stance.
“I’ve seen the “Chinese Spy Balloon” all over my TikTok and Instagram,” he said. “I think that the worry is justified to an extent.”
Meanwhile, Connect Campus student Alfredo Martinez agreed with the latter stance.
“I definitely think that people’s anger was not justified,” he said. “It was all guided by mystery. Simply because it is unknown, it caused fear.”
Disagreements in regard to whether or not the panic was justified are plentiful, and seemingly quite divisive.
However, both students agree that, despite their differing opinions on whether or not the fear was warranted, speculation about the true intentions behind the balloon and the scope of its capabilities shouldn’t be a big source of concern.
“I honestly can’t say what its true intentions were. It could truly be a weather balloon that veered off course,” Flores said. “I doubt that it was a balloon meant to cause explosive or chemical damage to US citizens.”
Flores said he believes the balloon was built for a single purpose and that he didn’t see any reason to be worried by its appearance.
“The possibility of it being any more than a tool to get information is very slim,” Martinez said. “I personally did not think anything bad about the object. Again it was just a balloon over in the sky. The balloon itself was not dangerous. The intention of it was to just get information. There is no reason to be scared or fearful,” he said.
Regardless of how harmful or harmless the balloons are, there are still many people around the country that still aren’t convinced that China should’ve even sent any sort of spy equipment into the United States without any warning.
“I believe that the US is and was, well within its rights to defend its own airspace against an unknown and possible threat regardless of what its true intentions are,” Flores said. “If it were truly a weather balloon that was at risk of flying into foreign airspace, China should have taken the proper steps in communicating, before letting an unknown object float around foreign countries.”
The entire ordeal has split numerous people across the states. Some feel uneasy, and some feel indifferent.
The arrival of the spy balloon will likely result in a greater discussion breaking out in the future involving what other countries should and shouldn’t do with their technologies and operations.
