[Aztlan] 2012 Conference Trailer

[John Major Jenkins]

John H. and others interested in this thread,

This all sounds oh so clique-ish. I'll take the high road and simply
offer an observation. Up until very recently the professional scholars
have dismissed 2012 as a non-topic, an irrelevant calculational accident
of Long Count math. The possibility that the 13-Baktun cycle end-date
might have had some meaning for the creators of the Long Count has been
unanimously dismissed by every professional scholar I've communicated
with since 1991, despite the fact that the best correlation candidate
places the 13-baktun cycle's end-date on December 21, an accurate winter
solstice. That this unusual occurrence might be an invitation for closer
rational scrutiny regarding whether or nor some intentionality is
present in the 2012 date has been ignored and disregarded by scholars,
invoking "coincidence" as the only explanation. 

Now that we have the un-lettered folk wondering about and speculating
upon what it might mean, the avenue of academic scrutiny presents itself
- let's examine the sociological phenomenon of end-time hysteria,
apocalypse delusions, and the onerous stench of spiritual materialism in
the modern American empire. Surely an examination of the sociological
phenomenon of end-time hysteria is a valid topic for educated
assessment, and it has a precedent - year 1000 for example. This
response of scholars is quite predictable; in fact it's a kundebuffer
response - a predictable counter-response - to the New Age frenzy over
2012. However, the scholars aren't really doing their job. I submit that
scholars are continuing to neglect examining the 2012 artifact itself;
e.g., how a big cycle ending in the Maya Long Count might have been
involved in Maya eschatology, the World Age doctrine, Maya beliefs and
spiritual teachings related to cycle endings, big and small. Scholars
are being distracted by the 2012 glitz just as much as the New Age
fantasts are; and both sides are neglecting to look at the
thing-in-itself rationally, as an authentic artifact of Maya calendrics
and time philosophy. Just some food for thought,

John Major Jenkins
http://alignment2012.com

"A giant kundebuffer is being set up (in unconscious cooperation) by two
groups: The ungrounded cheerleaders of 2012 and the scholarly debunkers.
There is the potential to create a Y2K fiasco for serious research by
setting up 2012 for inflated expectations which (because inflated
expectations are almost impossible to realize) can be a great triumph
for the debunkers."

---Jonathan Zap  


-----Original Message-----
From: aztlan-bounces at lists.famsi.org
[mailto:aztlan-bounces at lists.famsi.org] On Behalf Of Hoopes, John W
Sent: Thursday, January 24, 2008 3:19 PM
To: Elaine Day Schele; Aztlan at lists.famsi.org
Subject: Re: [Aztlan] 2012 Conference Trailer

Hi Elaine,

The 2012 aficionados clearly have the edge on the academic experts we
know and love when it comes to marketing.  Surely that's a situation
that can be remedied the usual abundance of cleverness, creativity, and
questionable humor.

I think the time has come for a cool video on YouTube (with a rockin'
soundtrack) to promote the Texas Maya Meetings...  

John

-----Original Message-----
From: Elaine Day Schele [mailto:eschele at austin.rr.com] 
Sent: Thursday, January 24, 2008 3:22 PM
To: Hoopes, John W; Aztlan at lists.famsi.org
Subject: RE: [Aztlan] 2012 Conference Trailer


Hi John,

I love it!!!  As I watched the video, I had this awesome flashback to
the Age of Aquarius back in 60's, even though the music was 1980's REM
("end of the world as we know it").  I couldn't help but think "yes, the
Maya knew it all!"  But the film displays the Aztec Calendar Stone on
two scenes, revealing that indeed, the claim of expertise about 2012 is
a little less than the truth! Granted of course that there are
similarities between the Aztec and Maya Calendar.  The video and the
music is so appealing, but of course the Maya calendar experts they list
are not those that many of us look to for answers about the Maya
Calendar.

This "2012 Conference" that they are advertising will take place March
1, 2012 in California and most likely will be at the same time that the
Austin Maya Meetings will be happening.  Perhaps we should ride the
tails of their advertising bonanza and couch our Austin 2012 meeting the
as a "2012 Conference Extravaganza - You Ain't Heard Nothing Yet - Maya
Meeting Workshop and Symposium". 

<grins>
Elaine

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