WASHINGTON, December 11 (RIA Novosti) Hey, did you hear the one about the apocalypse? People are joking about it like there’s no tomorrow.
That’s the sentiment of many skeptical Americans, who scoff at word of the world’s latest date marking the end of the world – predicted this time around to occur on December 21, when a cycle of the ancient Mayan calendar ends with the winter solstice in 2012.
Americans can sometimes take sarcasm to a whole new in-your-face level.
There are apocalypse parties. “Come drink with your friends for the very last time!” says a Washington-area flyer, which promises “A massive group hug at midnight if we survive!”
There are do-it-yourself parties for those who’d rather not be surrounded by strangers at the very end: “We have an entire theme section devoted to the end of the world called Party Like There's No-Tomaya!” proclaims one party-supply site.
They also offer an “I Survived the Mayan Calendar” theme for skeptics.
There are several end-of-the-world cruises – must be paid for in advance – which transport passengers to the Mayan ruins in Mexico where the rumors were founded, and enough irreverent remarks on social media to last until… let’s just say a really long time.
Here’s a sampling:
Gmail is down. Clearly it decided to celebrate the impending Mayan apocalypsea few days early.
— The Dark Lord (@Lord_Voldemort7) December 10, 2012
Dear Bill Collectors. I'm gonna have to hold off on the payments until this Mayan Calendar Apocalypse is over. Okay? -Just in case.
— Ty Martell (@denofmusic) December 11, 2012
If a zombie apocalypse were to happen in Vegas... would it stay in Vegas?
— Nick Tatu (@nick_tatu) December 11, 2012
11 days left until the Mayan apocalypse? I better get busy maxing out my credit cards and burning bridges.
— BedheadBunny (@BedheadBunny) December 10, 2012
I'm saving all the fries on the floor of my car, as a snack, for the apocalypse.
— Desi Princess (@desi_princess) December 10, 2012
Yeah we can hook up.At the start of the zombie apocalypse.I might need you as bait.
— MoodyMinx (@Moody_Minx) December 10, 2012
All the doom and gloom of the upcoming apocalypse in 11 days. Here is a fun fact If Mayans were good at seeing the future, there'd be Mayans
— mkmrtn (@mkmrtn) December 10, 2012
But enough people in the US are genuinely concerned about what some believe to be the impending apocalypse that there’s been a sharp spike in sales of survival pods, some of them equipped with bunk beds, energy supply sources and non-perishable food, according to the people who sell them.
“Sales are really strong right now,” said Tonya Peniche, who works at the California-based Atlas Survival Shelters, in a phone interview with RIA Novosti.
“We've gone from one a month to one a day," said her boss, Ron Hubbard, according to the Telegraph. "When astrophysicists come to me, buy my shelters and tell me to be prepared for solar flares, radiation, EMPs (electromagnetic pulses)... I'm going underground on the 19th and coming out on the 23rd. It's just in case anybody's right."
Jokes aside, there’s enough concern that the US government has an important message about the world ending on December 21: it’s not going to happen.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has a website devoted to debunking the rumors and calming the fears.
“There is no threat to earth in 2012,” says NASA Space Scientists David Morrison in a YouTube video produced by the agency.
Its website has a question-and-answer section that addresses more specific questions.
“Our planet has been getting along just fine for more than 4 billion years, and credible scientists worldwide know of no threat associated with 2012,” it reads.
According to NASA: There is no Planet X on track to hit Earth. Earth will not have a reversal in rotation, and it is not predicting a “total blackout” of the Earth.
The official response from NASA, reflected on a US government blogpost, comes because Morrison says he gets messages every week from people as young as 11 who say they are ill or contemplating suicide over the pending doomsday.
“These rumors have many people frightened, especially children,” says the blog.
"There is no true issue here," said Morrison. "This is just a manufactured fantasy."
