Empire State Building's Coronavirus Siren Draws Comparisons to the Eye of Sauron

New York City is among the areas of the United States hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic. On Monday, the operators of the Empire State Building decided that it would turn the landmark skyscraper into a symbol of support for the medical works and first responders putting their lives on the line to give aid to those infected with the new coronavirus. At night, the building will flash red and white lights like an ambulance siren. "We'll never stop shining for you," the building's Twitter account tweeted. "Starting tonight through the COVID-19 battle, our signature white lights will be replaced by the heartbeat of America with a white and red siren in the mast for heroic emergency workers on the front line of the fight.

In theory, it's a nice symbolic gesture. In practice, some folks aren't seeing a siren in the towering red light. Instead, they're reminding of the Ey of Sauron, the massive towers that surveyed all of Middle-earth as the dark lord Sauron returned to search for the One Ring in The Lord of the Rings.

Those people have brought the conversation to social media with jokes, comments, and comparisons. You can see some of them below.