10.23.09 By: Erik Davis
Take THAT Roland Emmerich! The problem with these end-of-the-world movies, like 2012, is that when they come out people sometimes freak because they actually believe the world is coming to an end. The marketing strategy for the upcoming Roland Emmerich film doesn't help either, since it seems the studio wants people to believe the 2012 Mayan prophecy -- so much so that they've gone and created a whole slew of fake websites and Facebook pages tied to the film and tied to the Mayan legend. Of course, this sort of fluff may help the film's box office take when it hits theaters, but it certainly doesn't help the folks at NASA who've been fielding thousands of emails from people who, thanks to the movie and its marketing plan, think the world is ending in 2012.Says NASA scientist David Morrison, "I don't have anything against the movie. It's the way it's been marketed and the way it exploits people's fears." To dispute some of these claims, Morrison has taken to a new online column where he's been answering questions about 2012 and the mysterious planet Nibiru.
So what does he really think about the Mayan calendar ending on that specific date in 2012? In his column, Morrison says: "Calendars exist for keeping track of the passage of time, not for predicting the future. The Mayan astronomers were clever, and they developed a very complex calendar. Ancient calendars are interesting to historians, but they cannot match the ability we have today to keep track of time, or the precision of the calendars currently in use. The main point, however, is that calendars, whether contemporary or ancient, cannot predict the future of our planet or warn of things to happen on a specific date such as 2012. I note that my desk calendar ends much sooner, on December 31 2009, but I do not interpret this as a prediction of Armageddon. It is just the beginning of a new year."
Have you been taken in by the marketing strategy for 2012? Do you now believe the world is ending in 2012? According to Warren Betts, whose company helps push out the real science stories tied to movies, Sony definitely crossed a line promoting 2012, even though studios have been doing this sort of stuff for years (1999's The Blair Witch Project is cited as an example). Says Betts, "I think people are really, really worried about the world coming to an end. Kids are contemplating suicide. Adults tell me they can't sleep and can't stop crying. There are people who are really, really scared. People are very gullible," he added. "It a sad testimonial that you need NASA to tell you the world's not going to end."
What do you think? Are people stupid if they believe the world is actually going to end in 2012, or is Sony in the wrong for creating a marketing campaign that deceives people into thinking the world inside the film really does exist?
[via Discovery]
Filed under: News/Reactions
Tags: 2012, is 2012 really happening, is the world going to end in 2012, Is2012ReallyHappening, IsTheWorldGoingToEndIn2012, mayan prohecy, mayan prophecy, MayanProhecy, MayanProphecy, sony









Univarnat 10-23-2009
For the last 100 years there's always been guys out on street corners holding signs saying the end of the world is coming... so if you ask me if people are stupid enough to believe it, my answer: yes.
As for Mayan's 2012 I've read countless articles of people who've talked to real, living, Mayans who have no idea what people are talking about when they go straight for 2012. As a concept, Armageddon/End of the World is a very Christian/Western ideal, and has nothing to do Mayan belief at all.
As for the movie... I'll see it on DVD, not going to waste my money in the false hope that somehow Roland Emmerich as returned to pre-2000's form.
Boat 10-26-2009
I agree. There will be some cult or sect of no minds who will commit suicide or go hide in a cave for months in 2012. Like the people who committed group suicide thinking they were going to ride off in the comet some years ago. There are enough cult idiots in our country who will do just about anything and drink the Kool Ais (a la Jim Jones).
Conicat 10-26-2009
I'm going to wait to see it on DVD too. I hear that in 2013, it'll be half-price.
Zarathustraat 12-27-2009
What a shame.... you deprived yourself of a great movie.
Patrick Rat 10-23-2009
"Are people stupid if they believe the world is actually going to end in 2012, or is Sony in the wrong for creating a marketing campaign that deceives people into thinking the world inside the film really does exist?"
Sadly, it's the former.
inukumaruat 10-24-2009
first, current mayans are nothing like the ones in acient times, most of the knowledge was lost, reason why they dont use the piramids for anything more than tourism. second...pretty soon we will be invaded by lizard men so who cares.
Jim Fedulloat 10-24-2009
does anybody really think that these asshole politicians ( aka: our gov't) could care less if we know that the world is truly going to end. think of the suicides, the mobs, the untold rampage that they would have to put up with. they would all nest somewhere they thought that it might be safe and let us all croak. look at this new virus, a minor problem to them but it has already claimed over 1000 lives. they could have prevented this when it started spreading but they waited & now its a problem. is o'bama taking bush lessons. who in the hell is o'bama listening to? i bet that all of the politicians and their familys have gotten the flu shots already. don't you see, we are expendable, unemployment up, lost jobs, homeless, the mass amounts of citizens in the late 50's to early 70's age group that they don't need anymore. think of the savings just in # ss payments alone if abunch of us kicked the bucket. your gov't isn't for the people anymore, look at the onslaught of legal & illegal residents w/ virtually no change in their status living here over the last several years. new meat for their taxe rolls, older people don't pay enough in taxes to make it worth keeping us around anymore. you may think that i'm off the road--but if you think about this and how our gov't has been doing things lately---???????
Fidoat 10-26-2009
2012 will be a gradual process of the earth's changes. The poles will flip, therefor causing a reversal of the ocean currents, melt of the ice caps, floods, earthquakes, and so on.
2012 is for real, but it is not "The End" of the world, but more so a rebirth to cleanse the earth of 1/3 of the population. Look at what our society has become. That type of immorality doesn't go unpunished. Don't worry though, before the natural devastation occurs, our own government will start kill us off through Martial Law very soon shortly after the economy collapses and the NWO takes over. Not if I have anything to do with it.
Anyone who says any different...do your homework and wash your foot because it will soon end up in your mouth.
SDEANat 10-26-2009
AND WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR INFORMATION????
Brentat 10-26-2009
The internet, books, The Discovery Channel, The History Channel, The Bible, or any other religious literature. So much of the information is right in front of you, and you don't even know it. Movies, our US currency, many large companies owned by the worlds elite have masonic symbols in them.
Just google/youtube/wiki keywords such as those below, it's everywhere: NWO (New World Order), Martial Law, 9/11 Inside Job, JFK Assassination, Bush Nazi, Rupert Murdoch illuminati, David Sereda, Jim Sparks, Freemason, 33rd degree, Illuminati, Pole Shift, 2012 predictions, FEMA Death Camps in USA, 13 Secrets of Freemasonry, Lucid Dreaming, Masonic Symbols, Omero, Obama Anti-Christ, Mayan Calendar, UFO, MUFON, Area 51, Nibiru, Planet X
All that stuff sounds like hocus pocus until you connect the dots of all the information along with events throughout history, religions, and watch all of the movies produced by the makers of The Matrix Trilogy...watch V for Vendetta or Equilibrium. Even the show The Simpsons has clues in many episodes...most of them know what's going on.
JDankat 12-01-2009
I agree completely. The BS aout the worls ending is dumb. The world is not ending, nearly resetting. That's what the Mayans believe not that it will end, but that it will reset. Look at the history of earth. Visit a museum or somethin and you may realize we have had many extinctions before. The frozen mammoths in the arctic? A product of the troposphere affect. Which tends to happen with the shifting of the poles. Physicists believe that this will happen and they will shift again by 23.5 degrees. Biblically, the world will not end. It will reset. Also if you believe the bible then you believe this has happened again ie; Noah's flood. Also, the rotation of the eart as it enters the galactic plane in galactic alignment, the gravitatioonal foces from neighboring planets as well as the pull of the galactic plane has the potential to reverse the spin on the entire earth. This proved and worked by physcists is believed to take up to 3 days.. ie On the 3rd day he rose again.... etc. These 3 days would coincide with complete darkness. If you think im some crazed hippi, Im not, Im a junior biology major at Texas A&M University. Look at the facts and make your own assertions. I for one believe what I can quantify and identify.
Jacquieat 10-26-2009
I have read a lot on 2012 and theories span from one end of the spectrum to another The theories include the end of the world to a jump in evolution for humans to it being just another passing day. The fact is we will never know until it happens and when it does (or does not) happen, there is nothing we can do about it anyway. So my attitude is to just live my life the way I have always lived it and don't stress about something I can't control. Just continue to improve myself as a human being and love my planet and humankind.
Samanthaat 10-26-2009
The world was supposed to have ended like what, 10 times at least already? I think that the majority of people, whether they admit it or not, are afraid of this. And the marketing team have more than done their job for this movie. However, I do think it's a little "done" that someone even decided to make this movie, I will not be seeing it. Too predictable...
lsgiffat 10-26-2009
It was proven by Penn and Teller's BULLSHIT show that there is nothing to worry about. If you can't trust a giant and a mute, who can you trust?
chasat 10-26-2009
Ok folks lets look at this from what if the world was going to end in 2012 . A. Can anyone stop it from happening?. B. You wont be around anyways .C.You need to live your life to the fullest.D. You will never have to pay taxes again. and last but not least you can tell your children go ahead stay up all night see if i care :-)
kdayat 10-26-2009
The only thing anyone should believe is what's in the bible. Otherwise the people of Sony and anyone gulliable to believe these things should really be ashamed of themselves.
Univarnat 10-27-2009
"The only thing anyone should belive is what's in the bible. Otherwise people of Sony and anyone gulliable to believe these things should really be ashamed of themselves."
1st) gullible*
2nd) Whether intentional or not this made me laugh... and I hope the author recognizes the amount of irony contained in it :)
omarrat 10-26-2009
dude you realize half the stuff in the old testament is compleete bull, even the jews say so
bigskymanat 10-27-2009
I'd be selling (dumping) my SONY stock well before that date, maybe then the money grubbing idiots behind "sensationalistic" ad promotions would think reality through just a little better in THE FUTURE!!!
jtmaxwellat 10-26-2009
it's okay...all that's going to happen is the ancient guardian Barbelith on the far side of the moon will hatch, allowing for the holographic nature of this metareality to dissolve as we are all absorbed back into the supercontext from which we all sprang. nothing to worry about at all. ;)