The Mandela Effect

by Cassie Bradley

Have you ever thought that you remembered something a certain way, but it turns out you were wrong? Were you the only one to get it wrong? Chances are, you probably were not.

There is a conspiracy theory that focuses on just that. It is called the Mandela Effect.

The Mandela Effect is named after Nelson Mandela because when the news broke in 2013 that Mandela had died, a lot of people were confused thinking he had died back in the 80s when he was in prison. People then started to reflect on it more and try to see if that was the only example of mass misremembering. People soon realized there have been other instances where the so-called Mandela Effect occurred.  

Image courtesy of Matt St. John/Flickr. The Berenstain Bears are one of many examples of the Mandela Effect.

One of the most popular examples of mass misremembering is The Berenstain vs. Berestein Bears. The first book came out in the 60s and a TV show followed later in the 80s. A lot of people, including myself, remember it as Berenstein. After people started to think about it more, many people who had once loved these books and the TV show  dug up their books and DVDs to find that they say Berenstain not Berenstein.

Those two are not the only examples of the Mandela Effect. We all know one of the most popular movie quotes, right?  “Luke, I am your father.” Like in the previous instances, that one is also incorrect. The quote is actually, “No, I am your father.”

Another example is the Mona Lisa. Mona Lisa is often thought to be frowning. However, she is actually smiling.  

Do you remember playing the board game Monopoly as a child? Do you remember the Monopoly man having a monocle? Well, he does not. He never has.

After finding out they were wrong this whole time, people needed an answer as to why they remember so many things incorrectly. A lot of people believe that we traveled through a parallel universe, an idea endorsed even by celebrities like Shane Dawson and Tana Mongeau. This might explain why so many people remember things being a certain way.

However, some people do not believe in this theory. Rather than living in a parallel universe, they think we simply remember all of these things incorrectly.

“I think it’s all in people’s minds,” said sophomore Tori Carroway. “We are not all perfect. We do mess up a lot. Accidents happen. I think these are just examples of that.”

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