Chase Fincham
Composition
Final Draft
November 21, 2017
The Mandela Effect: A Fake Phenomenon
Many people to this day have claimed to have experienced false memories, or recollections of events that did not actually occur. Perhaps these people are experiencing the Mandela Effect: the phenomenon in which people have clear memories of events that did not occur or misremember significant dates or facts. After Nelson Mandela’s death in 2013, a paranormal enthusiast vividly remembered Mandela dying in prison during the early 1990’s. After posting her “false” memory online, she quickly discovered that she was not the only one with this inaccurate recollection. Eventually, many more common false memories were found, and the Mandela Effect was born. While there are many causes believed to be responsible for this phenomenon, one of the most popular is parallel universes, in which the population is traveling between different realities, causing small changes to everyday things. Although some have claimed to have experienced it, the Mandela Effect is not real.
The Mandela Effect got its name from the well-known Nelson Mandela. The concept originated during Mandela’s imprisonment. “In 1962, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was arrested and sentenced to life in prison. After serving twenty-seven years, Mandela was released in 1990 by President F. W. de Klerk” (Wheeler 2). It was during this twenty-seven year period in prison that many people remember Mandela dying. However, shortly after being released from prison, Nelson Mandela came to be the president of his native country. “In 1994, Mandela became president of South Africa. He remained as president of South Africa for five years, until 1999” (Wheeler 2). Despite proof of his presidency, a good portion of people still believe he did not make it out of prison alive. “In the early 1990’s, millions of people claimed to hear and see reports of Nelson Mandela having died in prison, as well as distinctly remembering news anchors covering the story, a publicized funeral, and even rioting in the streets” (Wheeler 1). To this day, Mandela is still said to have had two different death dates. While it is clear that Mandela died in 2013, the argument that he died in prison resulted in the Mandela Effect.
The Mandela Effect did not become an official idea until it was realized that there were many people that also thought Mandela died in prison. One woman in particular discovered this, and helped the Mandela Effect gain popularity. “The term Mandela Effect was coined by self-described paranormal consultant Fiona Broome, who has written on her website that she first became aware of the phenomenon after discovering she and many others remembered Mandela dying in prison in the 1980’s” (Emery). Broome did not just vaguely remember Mandela’s death, but also specific ideas related to it. “Broome vividly recalled the media coverage of Mandela’s funeral and subsequent riots. And that was in 2010, when he was still alive, so it was not that she remembered footage from 2013 and simply mixed up the dates” (McPherson). After facing the realization that Mandela did in fact die in 2013, Broome thought to share her false memory. While her false memory was just an incorrect remembrance, she turned to the internet to see if it was more than that.
To share this weird experience with the world, Fiona Broome decided to create a website. Not long after, Broome became aware of the fact that she was not the only one in this situation. “When Broome started mandelaeffect.com, she quickly discovered that there were groups of people who remembered other periods of history differently” (McPherson). As the Mandela Effect grew popular, the website gave people a place to comment on the phenomenon and share their ideas. “That led to a website of the same name, which now acts as a repository of information on not only the false memories surrounding Mandela’s death, but many others” (Oswald). Over time, more examples have surfaced, and the majority of them turn out to be a common false memory. “As soon as a new Mandela Effect example or alternate memory is shared, there seems to be many people having the same memory and being baffled about why they have these memories in their head, despite the fact that they are (apparently) incorrect” (Wheeler 3). This idea that common things were being misremembered excited people. They began searching for even more examples. As these examples arose, more and more people jumped on the Mandela Effect bandwagon. However, none of these examples had evidence strong enough to prove the Mandela Effect true.
Examples of the Mandela Effect can be put into two categories: incorrect phrases and incorrect spellings. The category of incorrect phrases features many popular films, songs, games, and stories. Perhaps the most popular example of this is The Empire Strikes Back. “Do you remember when Vader breaks the news to Luke that he is his father? Almost everyone remembers it as ‘Luke, I am your father.’ However, apparently that was never the line” (Wheeler 7). While many people remember it this way, rewatching the movie will prove this was not how it was said. “Vader’s actual line was ‘No, I am your father.’ Even James Earl Jones (the actor who played Darth Vader) is adamant the line was ‘Luke, I am your father’” (Wheeler 7-8). This idea stunned many people. Everyone was confident the line began with “Luke,” yet in every version of the movie, the line begins with “[n]o.”
Similarly, two more well-known movies have common false memories buried within them. The mirror scene in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs features one of them. “The line ‘Mirror, mirror, on the wall’ never existed in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs…the evil queen referred to the mirror as ‘magic mirror’” (Top5s). Comparable to this, Forrest Gump exhibits another example of the Mandela Effect. In this movie, the common analogy comparing life to a box of chocolates was introduced. However, how it was said caused some confusion. “…the line in the movie is ‘Life was like a box of chocolates.’ The word ‘is’ has been changed to ‘was’ according to many people” (Wheeler 12). These two shocking examples of the Mandela Effect caused people to question themselves, as they were confident these quotes were different from what they actually were. Despite there being possible evidence, rewatching these films will prove that these quotes have never changed.
Rounding out the category of incorrect phrases are two more familiar cases of the Mandela Effect, the first being the movie Sex and the City. “…you will not find any reference to the show being named ‘Sex IN the City,’ as the title is now spelled with ‘and’ instead of ‘in.’ However, some people have perfume sets with the title featuring ‘in’” (Wheeler 13). While many use the perfume sets to prove the Mandela Effect true, it is clear they are either an off brand, or were just misprinted. The final example for this category comes from the song “We are the Champions” by Queen. The lyrics near the end of the song are commonly misremembered. “Many of those familiar with the song remember the final lyrics being ‘No time for losers, cause we are the champions…of the world’” (Esoterik Detective). Yet again, listening to the song will show that the end of the song does not end in “of the world,” but stops after “champions.” While people that believe in the Mandela Effect think these two examples actually have changed, it is highly unrealistic they have been modified, which can be proven by looking up the movie and listening to the song.
While it has fewer examples, the second category of incorrect spellings features several great instances of the Mandela Effect. Perhaps the most popular example of the Mandela Effect incorporates a book for young readers. “The case that most excites believers, however, is that of The Berenstain Bears, a children’s book series that hundreds or even thousands of online commenters remember as The Berenstein Bears” (McPherson). While a tremendous amount of people remember “Berenstain” ending in “stein,” this is not the case. “According to Mike Berenstain, whose father Stan created the series, the spelling has always been ‘stain’” (McPherson). While many would disagree, the author’s son, who happens to share a last name with the title of the book, is probably the most reliable evidence in this case.
Another example comes from the famous fast food chain of Chick-fil-a. Many believe the spelling has been changed, and that it used to be spelled “Chic-fil-a.” “…there is not a single picture, review, report, or article anywhere on the internet that shows the logo spelled ‘Chic-fil-a’” (Wheeler 9). This is yet another example where a good amount of people thought was proof of the Mandela Effect, but strong evidence suggests it is not.
The final example incorporates Jif Peanut Butter, which many people mistakenly refer to as Jiffy Peanut Butter. “Its called Jif, even though Jiffy has been embedded into the minds of many, and it was even spotted in American Dad, during an episode in which the character is uncovering a conspiracy” (Hudspeth). This caught many people off guard, as they have remembered hearing Jiffy Peanut Butter before. However, there is no proof that Jiffy Peanut Butter ever existed.
While there are many reasonable theories as to why the Mandela Effect occurs, some of them are far-fetched. There are a group of people that believe this phenomenon is related to parallel universes. “According to the theory, some of us have moved between realities, hence remembering things that have been written out of our current timeline” (McPherson). This theory claims that as people move between realities, small details such as spellings and logos change. Even though this is one of the more common proposals as to why the Mandela Effect occurs, the idea that universes change is hard to believe and cannot be proven.
Another explanation for why the Mandela Effect occurs is quantum events. This explanation claims that quantum experiments change everyday things. “CERN is a European organization for nuclear research which created the LHC (Large Hadron Collider), now the most powerful particle accelerator in the world” (Wheeler 25). People suggest that these subatomic particles might be the answer to all of our questions. “Many believe the experiments over at CERN are causing quantum events which interrupt and alter things in our reality, ultimately creating the Mandela Effect” (Wheeler 27). While there is a possibility this theory could be true, there is no supporting evidence that something like quantum experiments could be completely responsible for a phenomenon as big as the Mandela Effect.
The idea of parallel universes and quantum experiments being the cause of the Mandela Effect is unrealistic. Other than alternate realities and subatomic particles as an explanation, the most reasonable explanation for the Mandela Effect is psychology. “False memory experts explain the Mandela Effect as confabulation, where different memories get mixed together to create something that a person comes to believe is true” (McPherson). These real memories that are mixed together seem believable because they are combinations of memories that are less familiar. After hearing about a possible “false memory,” more and more people come to believe it, and that is how the Mandela Effect was born and still exists to this day.
In addition to confabulation, another psychological aspect may be responsible for the Mandela Effect. While mixed up memories do play a part, one-sidedness toward proving a false memory actually happened might have an impact. “Confirmation bias also plays its part: converts to a belief tend to seek out evidence that confirms their belief and disregard evidence to the contrary” (McPherson). When someone finds a memory they believe is true, they will begin to look for verification of what they believe and ignore the proof that falsifies their argument. This idea alone could be the reason the Mandela Effect is still alive to this day, as people are biased and will not accept anything but what they believe is right.
While confabulation and confirmation bias are two phenomenal explanations of the Mandela Effect, a third psychological reason might be involved. This third reason deals with following everyone else. “For a lack of better name, I am going to call it the ‘Law of Influence,’ where if enough people start to believe and support an idea, you are more likely to be in agreeance with the concept” (Wheeler 23). The most reasonable theories for the Mandela Effect are the ones that incorporate the brain. The theories that involve parallel universes and quantum events are difficult to accept and are more than likely not true. According to psychology, the Mandela effect is not real, and is instead several psychological glitches that have been combined together.
The Mandela Effect is one of the most popular conspiracy theories to ever exist. It began when a paranormal enthusiast remembered Nelson Mandela dying earlier than he actually did. A website was made and people began posting false memories similar to Mandela’s death. Over time, many examples have arose that are commonly misremembered. Furthermore, there are several explanations that address why the Mandela Effect happens. While many believe in the Mandela Effect, this phenomenon cannot be proved.
Works Cited
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In A Parallel Universe.” Buzzfeed. Dao Nguyen, 2016.
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