DunDidIt2X
Elite Member
- Mar 22, 2012
- 2,863
- 2,432
NOTE: Please answer the survey above before reading. I am conducting a social experiment on this topic.
Ok, some may call this being a bit "out there", while others may see the same strange things I see. I want to share a very odd occurrence going on in our collective memories. Lets talk about the Mandela Effect. Is it a huge marketing scheme? Is it a social experiment? Are There Time Travelers? Lets explore this topic a bit. It might actually blow your mind.
What is the Mandela effect?
The Mandela effect is a shared collective memory that people have, that actually did not happen in "reality". There are lots of documented reports of different memories that people have collectively shared that apparently never occurred according to history books, newspaper archives, and so on. One often mentioned example is a favorite child book.
Is it Beren-Stein Bears Or Is it Beren-Stain Bears?
If you google to see which name is correct, you'll probably find that your first thought on the proper name is wrong. I myself share this supposedly collective false memory and was shocked to see what the actual name is. Stop What You Are Doing And Google it yourself and see.
Besides this one example, some other examples of memories blamed on the "Mandela Effect" are:
http://mandelaeffect.com/nelson-mandela-the-memories-so-far, long before his actual death (in this timestream) on 5 December 2013.
http://mandelaeffect.com/lindbergh-baby-alternate-history – Never found? In this timestream, the 20-month old baby was found 12 May 1932.
http://mandelaeffect.com/history-explain-alternate-geographical-memories.
http://mandelaeffect.com/redblue-alternate-memories – Pepsi logo changes, Chevron logo changes, and other color swaps… are they markers, cues, or signs to watch for?
http://mandelaeffect.com/september-2223-a-strange-date – Some people recall events shifting from one of these dates to another. (The reaction to this article — on- and off-site — has been disproportionate to its apparent minor importance.)
http://mandelaeffect.com/the-sun-the-moon-the-stars-and-the-sky – Changes in the sun, moon, stars, planets and their moons, constellation configurations and placement, and the color of the sky in general.
http://mandelaeffect.com/tianamen-square-tank-boy. (Might be Mandela Effect issue or simple media manipulation.)
http://mandelaeffect.com/51-52-united-states — (Not Puerto Rico, which is a territory, or DC, which is a district.)
http://mandelaeffect.com/billy-grahams-funeral-on-tv. As of January 2016, he’s still alive.
http://mandelaeffect.com/challenger-explosion-1984-1985-1986 Winter or another time of year? (Per http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Challenger_disaster, it was 28 Jan 1986.) Also, alternate memories about the Columbia.
http://mandelaeffect.com/chartreuse-red-or-green – Many people recall chartreuse as a pink or reddish color. It’s actually yellow-green.
http://mandelaeffect.com/curious-george-and-dual-memories – Tail or no tail? (He’s never had a tail.) This is part of my article about dual memories.
http://mandelaeffect.com/taps-ghost-hunters — Some remember the earliest show name as TAPS, not Ghost Hunters. (Yes, we know the real-life team is called TAPS, and some of their gear has always said that.)
http://mandelaeffect.com/henry-viii-portrait-turkey-leg — Many people clearly recall seeing it in history books, but there’s no record of it, now.
http://mandelaeffect.com/jif-or-jiffy-peanut-butter – Jif peanut butter was never called “Jiffy,” in this timestream. (Not confused with Skippy brand, either.)
http://mandelaeffect.com/mother-teresa-a-saint-once-again/ Several recall her canonization in the 1990s. They also recall her name spelled “Theresa.”
(List Source: http://mandelaeffect.com/major-memories/)
If you begin digging into this topic, you will find lists upon lists of allegedly false memories.
So what causes these supposedly false memories?
The Mandela Effect was first described online in 2010, by a blogger named Fiona Broome. Broome described an experience at a convention called Dragon Con, where she discovered that others had a false memory similar to hers, which was that Nelson Mandela had died during his imprisonment in the 1980s (Source: http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/the-mandela-effect). There are several theories surrounding the cause or root of the Mandela effect, including parallel universes intersecting, marketing effects, time travel, social experiments etc.
Debunkers claim "The Mandela Effect is closely related to cognitive dissonance. Cognitive dissonance can be mental stress or discomfort experienced by an individual who holds beliefs, ideas, or values and is confronted by new information that conflicts with existing beliefs, ideas, or values. Please note the use of “can be” as there is many purists that don’t accept the broader definition and scope of cognitive dissonance applying to memory versus reality. It is also related to misconceptions in general, although, again is differentiated due to the obscure nature and odd feelings resulting from learning the reality. The solutions, explanations and reasons for the misconceptions are also cryptic and often misrepresented or unknown altogether. "(Source: http://www.debunkingmandelaeffects.com/mandela-effect-introduction/)
For me, and countless others that have experienced the Mandela effect the debunkers statement "explanations and reasons for the "Mandela Effect" are also cryptic and often misrepresented or unknown altogether" really don't provide a credible explanation of why such large groups of people share these collective memories, and admit that they don't have a solid theory to back up their position on the matter.
Can we prove the Mandela Effect is real?
Most supporters of the theory claim the collective memories are proof in itself of the Mandela effect, but of course debunkers criticize these claims as cognitive dissonance. However, on August 5th, 2016, Redditor diamondashtry submitted a post titled “Holy shit – found Berenstein evidence while packing,” claiming to have discovered a Berentstein Bears VHS tape with the names “Berenstein” and “Berenstain” appearing on the official label (shown below). Within 72 hours, the post gained more than 340 votes (93% upvoted) and 180 comments on the /r/MandelaEffect subreddit, posting the following picture:
In the comments section, Redditor jumpsiedaisy replied that “basic analyses” on photos showed no traces of digital editing. That day, the news site Heavy published an article titled “Berenstein Bears: Did Reddit Prove the Mandela Effect?” (source: http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/the-mandela-effect).
Here is a link to the Heavy Article: http://heavy.com/news/2016/08/berenstein-bears-proof-reddit-prove-mandela-effect-vhs-photo-berenstain-evidence-pictures/
After spending quite sometime looking into this theory I found many memories I had which are apparently false, but shared by huge groups of people around the world. The Beren-Stein Bears one stood out the most to me because a year ago, before ever hearing about the "Mandela Effect" I was searching youtube for Beren-Stein Bear episodes for my daughter. I was shocked that I couldnt find it and instead found Beren-Stain bears. I even said something to my wife at the time about it. I clearly remember growing up reading and saying "STEIN" and Not "STAIN". I suppose a number of members in this community will have this same memory as I and others do, so for me the Mandela Effect is very real. I don't know whats caused this effect but it is quite odd and interesting to think about.
Perhaps a time traveller(s) is changing history to enrich themself, maybe there are parallel universes where collective memories leak to another, perhaps there is a huge social experiment going on with the memories of large segments of the population, or perhaps we are all just crazy.
Ok, some may call this being a bit "out there", while others may see the same strange things I see. I want to share a very odd occurrence going on in our collective memories. Lets talk about the Mandela Effect. Is it a huge marketing scheme? Is it a social experiment? Are There Time Travelers? Lets explore this topic a bit. It might actually blow your mind.
What is the Mandela effect?
The Mandela effect is a shared collective memory that people have, that actually did not happen in "reality". There are lots of documented reports of different memories that people have collectively shared that apparently never occurred according to history books, newspaper archives, and so on. One often mentioned example is a favorite child book.
Is it Beren-Stein Bears Or Is it Beren-Stain Bears?
If you google to see which name is correct, you'll probably find that your first thought on the proper name is wrong. I myself share this supposedly collective false memory and was shocked to see what the actual name is. Stop What You Are Doing And Google it yourself and see.
Besides this one example, some other examples of memories blamed on the "Mandela Effect" are:
http://mandelaeffect.com/nelson-mandela-the-memories-so-far, long before his actual death (in this timestream) on 5 December 2013.
http://mandelaeffect.com/lindbergh-baby-alternate-history – Never found? In this timestream, the 20-month old baby was found 12 May 1932.
http://mandelaeffect.com/history-explain-alternate-geographical-memories.
http://mandelaeffect.com/redblue-alternate-memories – Pepsi logo changes, Chevron logo changes, and other color swaps… are they markers, cues, or signs to watch for?
http://mandelaeffect.com/september-2223-a-strange-date – Some people recall events shifting from one of these dates to another. (The reaction to this article — on- and off-site — has been disproportionate to its apparent minor importance.)
http://mandelaeffect.com/the-sun-the-moon-the-stars-and-the-sky – Changes in the sun, moon, stars, planets and their moons, constellation configurations and placement, and the color of the sky in general.
http://mandelaeffect.com/tianamen-square-tank-boy. (Might be Mandela Effect issue or simple media manipulation.)
http://mandelaeffect.com/51-52-united-states — (Not Puerto Rico, which is a territory, or DC, which is a district.)
http://mandelaeffect.com/billy-grahams-funeral-on-tv. As of January 2016, he’s still alive.
http://mandelaeffect.com/challenger-explosion-1984-1985-1986 Winter or another time of year? (Per http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Challenger_disaster, it was 28 Jan 1986.) Also, alternate memories about the Columbia.
http://mandelaeffect.com/chartreuse-red-or-green – Many people recall chartreuse as a pink or reddish color. It’s actually yellow-green.
http://mandelaeffect.com/curious-george-and-dual-memories – Tail or no tail? (He’s never had a tail.) This is part of my article about dual memories.
http://mandelaeffect.com/taps-ghost-hunters — Some remember the earliest show name as TAPS, not Ghost Hunters. (Yes, we know the real-life team is called TAPS, and some of their gear has always said that.)
http://mandelaeffect.com/henry-viii-portrait-turkey-leg — Many people clearly recall seeing it in history books, but there’s no record of it, now.
http://mandelaeffect.com/jif-or-jiffy-peanut-butter – Jif peanut butter was never called “Jiffy,” in this timestream. (Not confused with Skippy brand, either.)
http://mandelaeffect.com/mother-teresa-a-saint-once-again/ Several recall her canonization in the 1990s. They also recall her name spelled “Theresa.”
(List Source: http://mandelaeffect.com/major-memories/)
If you begin digging into this topic, you will find lists upon lists of allegedly false memories.
So what causes these supposedly false memories?
The Mandela Effect was first described online in 2010, by a blogger named Fiona Broome. Broome described an experience at a convention called Dragon Con, where she discovered that others had a false memory similar to hers, which was that Nelson Mandela had died during his imprisonment in the 1980s (Source: http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/the-mandela-effect). There are several theories surrounding the cause or root of the Mandela effect, including parallel universes intersecting, marketing effects, time travel, social experiments etc.
Debunkers claim "The Mandela Effect is closely related to cognitive dissonance. Cognitive dissonance can be mental stress or discomfort experienced by an individual who holds beliefs, ideas, or values and is confronted by new information that conflicts with existing beliefs, ideas, or values. Please note the use of “can be” as there is many purists that don’t accept the broader definition and scope of cognitive dissonance applying to memory versus reality. It is also related to misconceptions in general, although, again is differentiated due to the obscure nature and odd feelings resulting from learning the reality. The solutions, explanations and reasons for the misconceptions are also cryptic and often misrepresented or unknown altogether. "(Source: http://www.debunkingmandelaeffects.com/mandela-effect-introduction/)
For me, and countless others that have experienced the Mandela effect the debunkers statement "explanations and reasons for the "Mandela Effect" are also cryptic and often misrepresented or unknown altogether" really don't provide a credible explanation of why such large groups of people share these collective memories, and admit that they don't have a solid theory to back up their position on the matter.
Can we prove the Mandela Effect is real?
Most supporters of the theory claim the collective memories are proof in itself of the Mandela effect, but of course debunkers criticize these claims as cognitive dissonance. However, on August 5th, 2016, Redditor diamondashtry submitted a post titled “Holy shit – found Berenstein evidence while packing,” claiming to have discovered a Berentstein Bears VHS tape with the names “Berenstein” and “Berenstain” appearing on the official label (shown below). Within 72 hours, the post gained more than 340 votes (93% upvoted) and 180 comments on the /r/MandelaEffect subreddit, posting the following picture:
In the comments section, Redditor jumpsiedaisy replied that “basic analyses” on photos showed no traces of digital editing. That day, the news site Heavy published an article titled “Berenstein Bears: Did Reddit Prove the Mandela Effect?” (source: http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/the-mandela-effect).
Here is a link to the Heavy Article: http://heavy.com/news/2016/08/berenstein-bears-proof-reddit-prove-mandela-effect-vhs-photo-berenstain-evidence-pictures/
After spending quite sometime looking into this theory I found many memories I had which are apparently false, but shared by huge groups of people around the world. The Beren-Stein Bears one stood out the most to me because a year ago, before ever hearing about the "Mandela Effect" I was searching youtube for Beren-Stein Bear episodes for my daughter. I was shocked that I couldnt find it and instead found Beren-Stain bears. I even said something to my wife at the time about it. I clearly remember growing up reading and saying "STEIN" and Not "STAIN". I suppose a number of members in this community will have this same memory as I and others do, so for me the Mandela Effect is very real. I don't know whats caused this effect but it is quite odd and interesting to think about.
Perhaps a time traveller(s) is changing history to enrich themself, maybe there are parallel universes where collective memories leak to another, perhaps there is a huge social experiment going on with the memories of large segments of the population, or perhaps we are all just crazy.
Last edited:
