[Aztlan] Respect as a 2012 teaching tool

[Robert Sitler]

Many of you probably read Lisa Miller's recent Newsweek article debunking the 2012 phenomenon. (See: http://www.newsweek.com/id/195688)
Clearly, informed critical voices are vital in order to separate fact from fiction on the topic and minimize baseless fears. I published what may have been the first academic piece on 2012 several years ago, "The 2012 Phenomenon: New Age Appropriation of an Ancient Mayan Calendar." (If interested, please see:  http://caliber.ucpress.net/doi/abs/10.1525/nr.2006.9.3.024?cookieSet=1&journalCode=nr)  In retrospect, I wish I had been more respectful and thoughtful in my analysis. Many of us will be consulted as "experts" on the Maya as 2012 approaches and even mildly dismissive attitudes like the one embedded in my 2006 article tend to turn away the very people we hope to reach. Academic disrespect towards those in the 2012 movement such as expressed in the Newsweek article also found expression in this year's Maya conference at Tulane. If we hope to reach the general public on this issue, we may do better with a more compassionate and humble attitude. One thing that I've hoped to imbibe from Maya over the years is the various cultures' underlying sense of respect (for nature, elders, babies, the divine). I still have a LONG way to go, but I am convinced that a more respectful attitude on my part will bear sweeter fruit. I will be speaking at a New Age conference later this month. Instead of attacking the ideology of the participants, I hope to interest them in aspects of Maya culture that have genuine potential value for us: intensely nurturing infant care, humble appreciation for the natural world, reverence for elders, and experiential spirituality. 

While, as Prof. Quetzil Castenaneda said in Newsweek, some of the few Maya who have even heard of 2012 see it as a "Gringo invention;" I think we would be remiss not to recognize the potential impact that 2012 ideology is already having in the Maya world as knowledge of the Long Count is reintroduced. For me, this is actually the most interesting aspect of the phenomenon. For anyone interested, I have posted a few thoughts on the topic that come from within the Maya context at:   http://www.stetson.edu/~rsitler/13PIK/ .

I can already imagine the collective cringing of many on our list when their eyes see "2012" in the subject line. For those wishing to comment, I urge you to contact me privately at rsitler at stetson.edu. I am NOT interested in starting another 2012 debate on this wonderful list.

Thanks for your patience and time,
robert
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Robert K. Sitler
Latin American Studies Program and  Dept. of Modern Languages & Literatures
Stetson University                      DeLand, Florida  32723
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http://stetson.edu/~rsitler      http://robertsitler.com              (386) 822-7281
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