2012 Theories... lets not flame here please

[00accord44]

So I'm a huge nerd inside and rarely hear a conspiracy theory that doesn't peak my interest. Unless you have lived in a bubble underneath the floor of the Atlantic then you've heard about the whole Mayan Calendar and supposed end of the world on 12/21/12.

Shows like "Nostradamus Effect", "Ancient Aliens", "Life After Humans", and many others have popped up all over television, fueling the conversation and controversy. The accuracy and legitimacy of the information presented in these shows should be questioned, but what conclusions can you draw from so much speculation?



The conspiracy theorist in me lends credence to some of the info as there are pieces of "evidence" that are difficult to overlook. However, there were numerous supposed experts that touted predictions of mass catastrophe for Y2k. I personally didn't buy into the Y2k mania, but I am admittedly captivated by the ancient astronaut theories that would lead one to believe that we have a little more than 11 months left before we are exposed to a much larger truth about this planet and its relative importance to the universe.

I have yet to speak to anyone that has no opinion on this topic, although general public stance seems to be


What do you believe? ...and what are you hesitant to believe???






Mods: not sure if this needs to go in Philosophizing section but I figured there's more traffic here. Move as necessary

[Moppie]

To be honest, I fail to see the relevance of thousands of year old predictions by religious leaders more concerned with power and control than rational investigation.

The y2k problem was more relevant, as it was based in real knowledge of the limited ability of some out dated computer systems to manage the change in year between centuries.
There are still plenty of computer systems that will have a problem again if not replaced by 2049

[00accord44]

imo the predictions by religious leaders are indeed mostly irrelevant. The whole structure and evolution of religion is filled with misplaced trust and misused power of influence. I am personally much more intrigued by the many tangible mysteries of the world that have yet to be explained. For instance, the monolithic stones used in the construction of the pyramids, Stone Henge, etc. Or the numerous ancient structures on almost all continents that line up to constellations with remarkable accuracy. Or the discoveries of sunken structures that would seem to indicate that there were intelligent (some would even say advanced) civilizations that once existed at a time when the bodies of water on Earth were not in their current locations.

I think the main similarity between the Y2k and 2012 scenarios is that they highlight a flaw that has been consistently displayed by mankind.... we think we know everything until we find out that we don't. What I always wonder is, what is it that we don't yet know??

[Moppie]

Originally Posted by 00accord44

I think the main similarity between the Y2k and 2012 scenarios is that they highlight a flaw that has been consistently displayed by mankind.... we think we know everything until we find out that we don't. What I always wonder is, what is it that we don't yet know??

How?

People knew the y2k bug would be a problem when they wrote the software, they just didn't care.

The 2012 predictions are just that, predictions based on bad reasoning.

[00accord44]

The people who wrote the inadequate software before Y2k knew the scenario, but the general public knew little to nothing about the technical details that would suggest pending failure after 12/31/99. The specifics and details weren't important to the public because it was fear that fueled the hysteria leading up to the date. On 1/1/00 we found out that there were few or no data processing issues that actually affected the people who were afraid. Had it not been for news coverage telling everyone that we looked to be heading toward disaster, there would have been far less fear of the unknown.

For the 2012 issue, most people only know that the Mayan calendar ends on 12/21/12. Like I said, there are shows that give people selected bits of info which are intentionally packaged to lead to the conclusion that the world will end. Unlike Y2k, the people who created the calendar or made predictions (Mayans and Nostradamus primarily) are no longer around to provide any further info to support any angle of the discussion. So again, the general public is left to trust that the information they are fed is reliable. Since the general consensus (at least in the US) is that aliens etc are nonsense, the fear or apprehension of any kind of pending event on 12/21/12 is isolated only to those who chose to believe it to be possible.





Specifically to your question:
At the core, its the lack of knowledge (aka ignorance) of the general public that is preyed upon by news media to promote fear. As shown repeatedly throughout history, fear is the easiest tool used to manipulate the masses. Y2k or 2012, the general public lacks knowledge and relies on what is provided by the media. The actual facts of the matter become irrelevant once the majority of population buys into fear of the unknown. If the majority professed a belief in aliens etc, then I fully believe there would be (and maybe there still will be) mass hysteria fueled by fear of what will happen 12/21. Because it is taboo still to consider that there might have been extraterrestrial influence on the Mayans to create a calendar with an expiration date, the fear does not spread as it did with Y2k. Everyone who has ever used a computer fully believes they can be corrupted by bad software.

[Tony]

I think people overthink things all to often.

[00accord44]

I agree as I am clearly one of them but I think its way more dangerous to underthink. Even if you lead yourself to incorrect conclusions, theres value in trying to reach your own than to follow those who would prefer that you allow them to think for you

[Tony]

Now I didn't say I let others think for me, but I really don't have any opinion on the 2012 situation. After how many "ends of the world" I have already lived through, 12/21/12 will be treated just like any other day unless it proves to be different then. If it does prove to be different for once, I can improvise. Because unless you really know exactly what to expect you can't prepare for it.

[00accord44]

DIdn't mean to insult before if you took it that way in regards to letting others think for you. What I am referring to are the uninformed masses that choose to follow beliefs based solely on what they hear in media. Once you have enough people believing anything whether it be aliens existence, computer failure, AIDS transmission through toilet seats, or fake "Tornado" turbo systems adding 50 whp, the word of mouth that spreads the ignorance (or just misinformation) is hard to stop. Unfortunately, there is a deep supply of people who would rather be told "the truth" than investigate for themselves.

Then there are people who choose NOT to follow (like yourself Tony). My opinion is that a reasonably smart person can only be influenced by mass public opinion so many times before tuning the public out completely. Just like how I and many others do not follow the news or politics because all too often the info presented turns out to be irrelevant, skewed, or completely false. The danger then is that when something monumentous is on the horizon, it could be tuned out because of all the BS that preceded it. That's not to say 2012 is guaranteed to be anything significant, but there is plenty of undeniable info that has led me to consider that there could be something to it.

[Tony]

No worries, I did not take it as an insult. I honestly view this and religion the same, different ideas, but same means of spreading it and about the same amount of people buy it.

[00accord44]

Religion is always a sensitive topic so I won't want to get too deep but I agree the mode of influence is similar if not identical. I'm not a religious person but I think its very possible that IF there is any legitimacy in the 2012 theories then it will be closely tied to the many religious groups on the planet. Thats about all I can say without ensuring myself a lengthy argument from someone

[Tony]

Yea I wasn't taking that dive either. I could have probably went on a little more, but was side tracked trying to take care of a few things.

[ericn1300]

Originally Posted by 00accord44

we think we know everything until we find out that we don't. What I always wonder is, what is it that we don't yet know??

Are you related to the former United States Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld who actually said:

"There are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say there are things that we now know we don't know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we do not know we don't know."

It actually made sense to me at the time, but I drink as heavily as Moppie

[00accord44]

Confession time.... I am Donald Rumsfeld

[CivicSpoon]

Honestly, I'm pretty torn on the subject. When I first heard/read about all the 12/21/12 stuff, I started flipping out a little. I've seen pretty much every Mayan television show, that has been on TV. There are a lot of unanswered questions. The Mayan Calender ending its full cycle, the sun lining up with the exact center of the Milky Way galaxy right around that date, an apparent increase of Natural Disasters. There's a lot of stuff going on, or about to go on, that our civilization hasn't experienced in our entire recorded history.

I never believed the Y2K thing, never believed religious guesses of the world ending, never believed in cult guesses of the world ending, I've never believed in any of it. For some reason I've put some actual thought into this one.

I am however leaning towards absolutely nothing happening, now. I do however plan to be awake at 5am-6:30am EST on December 21st, 2012, curled in the fetal position.