The Maya Hieroglyph Hoax in the USA: Phonetism and Lounsbury´s Derivation and Reading of the "Ben-Ich" Prefix

Abstract

As the focus of civilization shifts from production to information, issues affecting the dissemination and quality of that information become increasingly important. This is true regardless of the content of that information, be it military, political, religious, economic or –as in the present instance- merely academic. The increasing facility with which the computer generates information is no guarentor of increasing quality or integrity, in fact dishonest or useless information is often generated with greater alacrity than true or usefull information. Such is also the case with an institutionalized hoax, in which a small clique propagates a false or misleading viewpoint and suppresses dissenting views which may (or may not) be more cogent. In the United States such a clique organizes conferences and operates publications, confusing students and censoring dissidents to produce profits for the leaders and perks for the followers of a particular method of interpreting Maya hieroglyphic writing.