Most people have heard some version of the children's story The Emperor's Clothes wherein a couple of con-men posing as tailors deceive a king into believing they were making some wondrous clothes for him, but they could be seen only by very intelligent/superior people. Although the king could not see these clothes as they progressed through trial fittings, for him to say so would be admitting that he was a stupid/inferior person. Likewise with everyone else who came in contact with the king -- everyone said the non-existent clothes were wonderful.
When 'completed', the 'tailors' collected their money and left after which the king arranged a parade to show off his new clothes. Everyone pretended he was not in his underwear except one small child, too small to understand what the grown-ups were doing. That child was not deceived and exclaimed aloud that the king didn't have any clothes on. This recognition of the truth by one little non-grown-up parade-watcher led everyone else to realize they had been deceived.
In l999, many millions of people are victims of a comparable deception: that l999 is the last year of the decade, century, and millennium. The majority of the populace suffers from the Emperor's Clothes Syndrome.
The originators of this deception were the public press. Newspapers invented the artificial decade of "the 20s", the "30s", ... "the '90s". In the l930s, reference was often made to the Gay Nineties of the previous century. But there is no such thing as ZERO year. Consequently, such decades are artificial; unrelated to calendar decades.
In our calendar of time, millenniums are divided into centuries and decades. Decades have, and always have had, 10 years each. Thus the 9th year of a decade (l999) CANNOT be the LAST year of the decade (century and millennium). Even though the press has been joined by radio and television, and even though they present a united front in the deception of l999 being the end of the millennium, they are l00% wrong.
It's really amazing how many people and organizations follow along, like sheep, in this falsity. I first noticed the myth's spread to high places when I heard I. O. C. president Samaranch say, at the l996 Olympics in Atlanta, that they were the last (summer) Olympics of this millennium. I've seen that Pope John is among the deceived. The list goes on and on, and includes the leader of our country.
In l997 I read that "President Clinton and the first lady unveiled a White House blueprint ... for welcoming the knew millennium ...." at the end of l999. Three times I wrote to them asking "Why are you treating the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century?" considering that in our decimal system 2000 is the LAST year of the decade. They won't face the issue. The only reply was a generic Bill Clinton form letter totally unrelated to my inquiry.
Three times I wrote individual letters to three top executives at the Washington Post, owner of NEWSWEEK. It was not until the third letter that one of them replied, and he caused me to get a second letter, from a NEWSWEEK person. The Newsweek correspondent says that I'm right "technically" but their position is that of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops staff director, and they quote him: "You can talk all you want about the year 200l, but it will be the year 2000 when the new millennium is going to be in the hearts and minds of people." He's right. The people have the Emperor's Clothes Syndrome.
The President/General Manager of the Washington
Post referred me to what their ombudsman had to say --
a full page of information in which their official
position is revealed:
l. They KNOW the next millennium starts l-l-0l,
but regardless,
2. "The Post (and subsidiaries such as Newsweek) has
decreed, as have so many other news organizations,
that the POPULAR WILL MUST PREVAIL ....l-l-00 is
the start of the millennium."
In other words, the media has promoted a lie and the majority of the populace believes it, so now it is the truth -- the public's will. Reality doesn't matter. There is NO punishment for being a hypocrite, but there IS a financial benefit, so why not report a myth as fact?
Here is a sampling of other organizations who won't face reality but elect to go along with the millennium myth: The AARP/Modern Maturity Magazine; National Geographic; PARADE Magazine; Reader's Digest; Smithsonian Institution. To some extent, all profit financially by selling advertising for cruises, events, and parties tied to the 'new' millennium coming l2-3l-99.
Most organizations don't respond to my inquiry, but there are some (besides the Washington Post) who try to defend their position. PARADE puts it simply -- "...you are right. However, we will continue ... Call it poetic license...." National Geographic tries to justify their position by bringing irrelevancies into the picture; they say they are acting in the "...spirit of elasticized millennia...." The Smithsonian plays it both ways: They print 'letters to the editor' which show that "every thinking person knows that the third millennium begins in 200l...." but "As journalists, we have to cover the millennium stories now or else be scooped by other publications....The general public... expect these end-of-the-l900s stories."
Although the media prides itself on being a whistle- blower for any conspiracy uncovered, they ignore their own de facto conspiracy.
Are YOU infected with the ECS?
Printed November 27, l999. Copyright pending by John R. Crane.
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