PBS Idea Channel

Do We Want the World to End? (1x34)

Air date: Dec 19, 2012

The 2012 Mayan Apocalypse is only a few days away . . . and there are a lot of people wondering if it's going to happen. Sorry to burst your bubble, but (Spoiler Alert) nothing's going to change.The so-called Mayan long count calendar predication of the apocalypse is based a fundamental MISUNDERSTANDING of Mayan calendars and society. It's so far off base that scientific and anthropological experts can dismiss it with laugh. Yet, if it's so fundamentally wrong, why do we keep hearing about it? Why are there movies and news casts and websites dedicated to this non-event? Watch the episode and find out!!!!