This balloon is the black hat's 'slow drip' for us to accept surveillance and control from global entities.

It 'alerts' us (it's China!), but it's relatively 'harmless' (a balloon).

But the natural progression (eventually) leads to:

   free-roaming Boston Dynamics robot dogs....
   outfitted with machine guns....
   controlled by the U.N....
   barking commands at us to 'obey our curfew'.

This balloon is the black hat's 'slow drip' for us to accept surveillance and control from global entities.

It 'alerts' us (it's China!), but it's relatively 'harmless' (a balloon).

But the natural progression leads to:
   free-roaming Boston Dynamics robot dogs....
   outfitted with machine guns....
   controlled by the U.N....
   barking commands at us to 'obey our curfew'.

This balloon is the black hat's 'slow drip' for us to accept surveillance and control from global entities.

It 'alerts' us (it's China!), but it's relatively 'harmless' (a balloon).

The natural progression will lead to 'free-roaming Boston Dynamics robot dogs, outfitted with machine guns, controlled by the U.N., barking commands at us to obey our curfew'.