A big reason people buy into this kind of crap is because they only know the world as it has been since they existed. Sure, they may grasp the idea of history, and that there was a world before they came into being, and will be after they're gone, but they don't really comprehend it. So it's easy for them to believe that "this has been the (fill in the word)est year ever!!!"
Excellent, and correct, analysis.