Unpacking the Mandela Effect

Alternate realities or just a game of telephone?

I keep hearing about this Mandela Effect. It has me thinking about the nature of reality. It has my head spinning. Human memory is such a complex topic. Ok one thing at a time.

So let's start off with what it is defined as. From ChatGPT--The Mandela Effect is an observed phenomenon in which a large segment of the population misremembers a significant event or shares a memory of an event that did not actually occur. It's like a collective false memory. 

The term was coined by a woman named Fiona Broome in 2009. She is a paranormal researcher, who shared her own false recollection of Nelson Mandela dying in prison in the 1980s. When she posted about it online, she noticed that many other people believed he had died long before his actual death in 2013.

The facts as of today are that Mandela was in prison for 27 years and then became the first democratically elected president of South Africa. He died in 2013.

Let’s go through some of the most well-known examples according to ChatGPT—

1. Nelson Mandela's Death:

• False Memory: Many people distinctly remember Nelson Mandela dying in prison in the 1980s.

• Reality: Nelson Mandela was released from prison in 1990 and later became the President of South Africa. He passed away in 2013.

2. Berenstain Bears vs. Berenstein Bears:

• False Memory: Many people remember the popular children's book series being spelled Berenstein Bears with an "e."

• Reality: The correct spelling is Berenstain Bears with an "a."

3. "Luke, I am your father" in Star Wars:

• False Memory: The famous line from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back is often quoted as "Luke, I am your father."

• Reality: The actual line is, "No, I am your father."

4. Sinbad's Non-Existent Genie Movie:

• False Memory: Many people remember the comedian Sinbad starring in a 1990s movie called Shazaam, where he played a genie.

• Reality: No such movie exists. People may be confusing it with Kazaam, a movie starring Shaquille O'Neal as a genie.

5. Oscar Mayer vs. Oscar Meyer:

• False Memory: Many people remember the popular hot dog and lunch meat brand as Oscar Meyer with an "e."

• Reality: The correct spelling is Oscar Mayer with an "a."

6. "We Are the Champions" by Queen:

• False Memory: Many people remember the song We Are the Champions by Queen ending with the phrase "of the world."

• Reality: The original studio version of the song ends simply with "We are the champions," without "of the world" at the end.

7. "Mirror, Mirror on the Wall" in Snow White:

• False Memory: The famous line from Disney's Snow White is often quoted as "Mirror, mirror on the wall."

• Reality: The correct line is, "Magic mirror on the wall."

8. "Sex and the City" vs. "Sex in the City":

• False Memory: Many people remember the popular HBO show as Sex in the City.

• Reality: The correct title is Sex and the City.

9. "Looney Tunes" vs. "Looney Toons":

• False Memory: Many people recall the cartoon series being spelled Looney Toons.

• Reality: The correct spelling is Looney Tunes.

10. Fruit of the Loom Logo:

• False Memory: Some people remember the Fruit of the Loom logo having a cornucopia behind the fruit.

• Reality: The logo has never included a cornucopia; it only features fruit.

These examples of the Mandela Effect highlight how common it is for groups of people to misremember certain facts or details, leading to widespread but inaccurate beliefs about well-known aspects of culture and history.

One that’s not mentioned here is Sally Field, sometimes referred to as Sally Fields. It’s like how people say Nordstroms instead of Nordstrom. Back to Sally. Most of us remember her Oscar acceptance speech when she said, “You like me. You really, really like me.” It was parodied everywhere. In the movie The Mask and by Madonna (who’s one to talk!) What she actually said was, “I can’t deny the fact that you like me. Right now, you like me!”

She still features on lists as the most obnoxious, weird, self aggrandizing speeches in Oscar history. It was a little cringe but it was made out to be way worse than what it was. It follows her to this day. Not a big deal I know, but the worst thing that’s ever happened to you is the worst thing that’s ever happened to you.

Another more concrete example is the location of New Zealand, where people believe it is located northeast of Australia when it’s southeast. Or the number of people in the car when JFK was shot—some think it was 4 but it was actually 6.

Why does any of this matter? Some people argue that it doesn’t—that these are simply examples of how human memory is fallible and susceptible to suggestion. Details can become blurry and then the misinformation (I hate that word) overrides your original memory.

It’s like a game of telephone where information gets seen, read or heard and then over time, because we are human, your memory changes or you just forget. I feel like my hard drive is full! Like that song says—too much information, running through my head!

Ok so the non-woo woo/skeptics argue that it has nothing to do with alternate realities or a multiverse. They believe it’s simply a case of people not wanting to admit they’re wrong and instead attributing their mistakes to something more cosmic.

There’s also the idea of confabulation where your brain fills in gaps in your memory. People experiencing the Mandela effect may be confabulating details that seem to make sense in the context of their other memories or beliefs, even if those details are not accurate. The psychological mechanisms behind the Mandela Effect and confabulation offer a compelling explanation for why people can have such divergent views of reality. More on that later in the broadcast.

I mean who cares really whether it’s Sex and the City or Sex in the City? They sort of sound the same really. And and in when said quickly, sound the same. Interview With a Vampire or Interview With the vampire. Well some people do and it’s because they consider these things cultural touchstones.

Some adherents to the multiverse theory suggest that "they" want to see if people notice these discrepancies—who "they" are is up for debate, but some speculate aliens.

Fiona Broome’s hypothesis is that when a significant number of people share a similar false memory, it could be related to alternate realities. For example, Mandela might have died in the 1980s in one universe and in 2013 in another. People who have memories of both might be unknowingly straddling between these realities. As ridiculous as these theories may sound, it’s totally possible in as much as I can truly understand what she is saying.

The Mandela Effect could go a long way in understanding the ways in which our respective minds work. There could also be something more otherworldly at play. Both things could be true.

Personally, I liken these dual realities to dreams. Have you ever incorporated something from your waking life into a dream, only to wake up unsure of what’s real? Sometimes, my dreams are so vivid that they feel like an alternate life. I often dream of people I’ve never seen before, as real as anyone I know.

Usually I dream about people I know in this time/space reality. All of it is usually very Salvador Dali-esque but sometimes it’s more real than whatever this reality is. It is like straddling between 2 different dimensions. Does that make sense?

Quantum theory could also come into play here. To borrow from British biologist John Haldane: The universe is not only queerer than we suppose, but queerer than we can suppose.

I think what he was saying is that the universe is far more complex and vast than our human minds are capable of understanding. The actual nature of reality is different for each individual and is beyond the scope of human comprehension.

It would behoove us both individually and as a society, to all challenge whatever assumptions we have and be more curious as opposed to dogmatic in our beliefs. This goes for both those who adhere to science and those who favor religion. A sense of wonder and humility would do us all some good.

Robert Lanza, my go to guy about pretty much anything when it comes to trying to understand universe related subjects, explains this phenomenon. He uses the assassination of JFK as an example.

I know it sounds crazy but perhaps we don’t definitively know who shot JFK. Perhaps, from a quantum perspective, the answer is uncertain because it depends on how it’s observed and perceived. Maybe there is no definitive answer to that question.

I guess what I come away with from learning about this phenomenon are two-fold. One is that the universe is still a huge mystery. I know there are other realities because of my dreams. That is something everyone can relate to.

The other goes back to confabulation where things make sense in the context of our particular memories or beliefs, even if those details are not accurate.

In the context of today’s divided political landscape, understanding the Mandela Effect and how our memories and perceptions are shaped by biases can help explain why people often operate from different "realities."

Exploring this phenomenon has taught me not to be married to my beliefs and so cock sure that my way of seeing things is the correct way, even though it usually is—HA! It’s crucial to recognize that each of us sees things differently, and to accept the uncertainties inherent in our universe. We are all unique individuals AND the Universe is weird as fuck!

Now it’s time for TOTD. Record a video of your event, and then you'll have plenty of options to choose the perfect photo to post!

That’s all for now. Much Love, Sabrina