And Just When I was Getting Prepared for the Apocalypse…
Via the BBC: Mayans ‘did not predict world to end in 2012’
The calendar used by the ancient Mayan civilisation does not predict the end of the world in December 2012 as some believe, according to experts.
A new reading of a Mayan tablet mentioning the 2012 date suggests that it refers to the end of an era in the calendar, and not an apocalypse.
Man! It is as if you can’t trust a good prediction about the end of time any more.
What’s worse:
"There is no prophecy for 2012. It is a marketing fallacy," Erik Velasquez, etchings specialist at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, told Reuters.
Oh, the humanity!
Wait, you mean I’m going to have to pay off these credit cards?
But, but, but they made a movie about it! It has to be true!
“A new reading of a Mayan tablet mentioning the 2012 date suggests that it refers to the end of an era in the calendar, and not an apocalypse.”
Well, to be fair, that’s not exactly a “new” reading. It’s the consensus of Maya studies scholars. Note how I didn’t say “Mayanists.” The Mayanists are more likely to read Erich Von Daniken than Linda Schele. It should be no surprise that they don’t actually learn anything.
Thankfully we still have plenty of people, like Sarah Palin and Rick Perry, dreaming about end-of-days and the Rapture.
@Herb: A consensus? Well, then they must be wrong…
Wait… so circular time and linear time can coexist? Who’da thunk it.
It’s always seemed quite scary that the same people who get so freak’d out about the Mayan calander didn’t lose their collective minds at the end of every day, week, month, and year. I mean, how can we be sure that there ever will be another November again? Or Friday for that matter?
And we still have a @consensus of scientists and most of you guys on this site thinking it will be hair spray, Light bulbs, cow farts, to many sheets of toilet paper and industrial progress that brings about the end.
Dang. I was so waiting for my dragons and elves :P.
@G.A.Phillips: “And we still have a @consensus of scientists and most of you guys on this site thinking it will be hair spray, Light bulbs, cow farts, to many sheets of toilet paper and industrial progress that brings about the end. ”
That’s rich, considering we’re talking about the Maya, a civilization that crumbled partially due to poor environmental management.
This destroys my nephews plan. He needs to do more homework and bring his grades back up.