In Honor of 2012

Whoever rules the apocalypse rules the world. That’s why, in celebration of the release of the disaster flick 2012 today, Friday the 13th, we’ll be publishing a series of articles about the 2012 phenomenon—a real, live, ancient apocalypticism for our time. New Agers, Mayan enthusiasts, climatologists, environmentalists, and NASA have all teamed up to give us the latest, greatest doomsday (or universal enlightenment; you choose) scenario since, well, 2000. And if, like that totally ineffectual millennium, nothing happens by the time 2013 rolls around, it’ll be another magnificent example of how we’re the most gullible sentient species we know of. And if 2012 does turn out to drastically alter the course of human and natural events, these may be the most important articles Killing the Buddha has ever published. Either way, KtB wins.

• “The 2012ologists” by Andrew Marantz
• “Why 2012?” (letter to the editor)
• “Times Reports: Crazy People Believe in 2012” by Jessica Weisberg
• “2012 or Bust!” by Jessica Weisberg
• “Oh Mayan!” (letter to the editor)
• “Long Count” by Alexander Zaitchik
• “Why Is the End of the World Such a Big Deal?” by Nathan Schneider
• “Crashing the Mayans’ Big Date” by Garrett Baer