In sum, as a trope and logic, the emptying island provides a rationale to justify and render neoliberal colonial-capitalist policies as “natural.” If the land is said to be empty, imagining and carrying out its occupation, repurposing, or even abandoning is easier. In the words of British crypto millionaire Stephen Morris, “It’s only when everything’s been swept away that you can make a case for rebuilding from the ground up” (Bowles 2018). Accordingly, Puerto Rico’s government and neoliberal elites are actively supporting the notion of emptiness with a trope of their own, “the blank slate” or “blank canvas.” Deployed to attract investors with their presumably innovative ideas, this trope inherently suggests that there is “nothing there,” thus promoting a luxury economy geared at settlers, and erasing resident visions and aspirations for the future.