As a follow-up to my post on the Berenst#in Bears problem, I thought this was worth sharing.
Yesterday, I found myself over at the subreddit r/Glitch_in_the_Matrix. And, wouldn’t you know it, the top post over there is about something called the Mandela Effect. This is the apparent name for phenomena like the Berenst#in Bears Problem, in which we remember something contrary to reality.
Exploring it further, I found that the name, coined by Fiona Broome, stems from the absurd number of people who seem to “remember” that Nelson Mandela died in prison in the 1980s, and not at his home in Johannesburg in 2013.
In fact, there’s even a subreddit dedicated to this kind of stuff.
Other examples of this “effect” include a portrait missing from this universe of Henry VIII, in which he’s holding a turkey leg, New Zealand being in a different location, and perhaps strangest of all, the color Chartreuse being “something other than yellow-green.”
Alternate Time Streams or False Memories?
However, the problem with something like the Mandela Effect is this: just because you hear something or even see something, that doesn’t mean it’s true.
Sometimes we read something incorrectly, or experience false memories. Sometimes we’re told something that’s incorrect. We assume it’s true, because why not, and go about our business.
Then, when we later find out that Nelson Mandela has only recently died, or New Zealand is in a different location on the map, or that the Berenstein Bears are actually the Berenstain Bears, this information clashes with what we thought we knew. And if enough people are misinformed about the same topic, I imagine that’s when we run into the so-called Mandela Effect.
In other words, that’s a roundabout way of saying sometimes we’re wrong. Well, whatever. It’s still pretty weird!
More Strange Examples of the Mandela Effect
New Zealand?
Where would you say New Zealand is located on the map? Maybe you’re right, maybe you’re wrong. But some remember it being to the northwest of Australia, when in actuality it is to the southeast.
Life is like a box of what?
If you’ve seen Forrest Gump, you know the iconic scene: Forrest Gump is sitting on a bench, and offers a chocolate to the woman sitting next to him. What does he say, again? “My momma always said, ‘Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.’” That’s how many remember it. But you know what? It’s actually “Life was like a box of chocolates.” Curious that even this video’s title got it wrong.
Darth Vader said what?
In yet another iconic movie scene, Darth Vader has bested Luke Skywalker in combat at Cloud City, and he reveals a startling truth: “Luke,” he says, “I am your father.” Or does he? In reality, he says, “No, I am your father.” (Maybe this has something to do with it.)
Mirror, Mirror On The Wall…
In Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the Evil Queen gazes into her mystical mirror and says, “Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?” Except she doesn’t: it’s actually “Magic mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?”
Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
When Fred Rodgers sang his well-known tune at the beginning of his show, Mr. Rodgers’ Neighborhood, maybe you sang along. Try it with me: “It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood, it’s a…” Wait, that’s actually not quite correct.
It’s “A beautiful day in this neighborhood.”
Dilemma
Dilemma. A simple word. But there are many out there who will look at it and see something very wrong. Because they remember it as Dilemna, with a silent “n.”
There’s an entire website dedicated to this one.
