Mandela Effect explained...or not? Share your personal stories.

This stuff is getting out of control. Not the claimed phenomenon itself, but all of the claims that this or that is "proof" of said phenomenon. So many of the standard examples given are clearly cases of faulty memories, it makes the entire discussion look beyond foolish.

It was always Berenstain Bears. I read those books as a small child - the OLD ones, like them going on a picnic, or a vacation, etc, not the newer ones with little life lessons. I recall distinctly looking at the spelling and thinking it seemed odd, because it wasn't "stein", but "stain". Only time I can recall that spelling for that name suffix. Many likely assumed "stein", because that's more common, many discussed this online, and instead of understanding they were simply wrong, they decided it had to be some alternate reality.

That's the case with most of these things. Faulty memories propping up more faulty memories, till people are certain it "must have been" a certain way, when it wasn't. Memory IS faulty, though, and that's been proven, time and time again. I watched one video some time back, in which participants were walked past some debris in the woods, and later convinced they had seen a UFO, soldiers, etc, that were not present AT ALL. Can't locate that one, just yet, but have some other examples, to show how this works.







It's clear that memories can be altered, and more than one person can be mistaken about an event. Now, that said, there are times I have personally experienced little "oddities", so be assured, I am not claiming that such a phenomenon is not possible. I will share my own examples.

1. The book scene stolen for a movie case - This one seriously bugs me!!! Many years back, I bought and read a copy of a book titled Carnosaur, published under the author's nae (I think perhaps a pen name) of Harry Adam Knight. Loved the book, which is about genetically engineered dinosaurs running amok in the English countryside. Fun stuff, all around. One scene I always liked was the one in which the tarbosaurus was in a neighborhood, and seen by a small boy, as it was after the dog, and water from their pool. The parents didn't want to listen at first, with the dad blaming the boy's aquarium for instilling "too much" imagination. Sund familiar? Well, it should! The exact scene was used in the movie, The Lost World!! Seeing the movie the first time, I was stunned, and more than a little irked! Not only did they mess up the book, badly, but they stole from another author!! Went home, grabbed the book off the shelf, and showed the scent to my older son, and my husband. They were shocked as well. They read the scene, saw how it was virtually identical to the one in the movie. I went online, and I would have sworn, commented on it, including on this website, but now, I can't locate any such comments! Maybe a later one, but not the ones fro right then. Now, fast forward a bit. I was going to post a copy of the page fro the book in a thread on the so-called "mandela effect", and my book was missing. Just gone. No, didn't loan it out. A bit irked, I searched the local used book store for another copy, found one, and bought it. Same exact cover, seemed to be the same publication date, as far as I could tell; at lest, it was close to when I ought the first copy. Went thumbing through, searching for the scene, and guess what? It wasn't there!! Now, I KNOW it was in the old copy. Two grown family members read it, and also my oldest, who didn't read it that night, but had before, and also recalled the same scene. So, four people saw this in the book. Yet the replacement copy doesn't have it?!?!? Something very odd, and off, about that!

2. The local post office moved - This one, you could chalk up to faulty memory, but if so, it's a weird one! Place we wee living, I went to the post office off and on at the time, to pick up or send packages. In those days, I used them more. Well, I was certain I knew exactly how to get to the post office. Common trip, not too far, so no surprise there, right? Well, not so fast. One day, went out with the older son to the post office. Turned on the same street (I thought), we'd always taken, past the same businesses, and no post office! Thinking we must have missed it, we backtracked. It wasn't there. Looked it up on the old feature phone, and found the address on a different cross street!! Now, the thing is, the routes look literally NOTHING alike; both off the same main road, but very different businesses, etc, along the roads themselves. Neither of us had any memory whatsoever of driving on that other road, and we were also sure we had not cut across to it from the one we did recall. We were sure enough that we remembered it being just after certain places. But, it wasn't. I'd be willing to call it a false memory, but can't imagine how that would have happened.

So, I can appreciate that people do experience things that change. The second incident, I could write off, but the first, I KNOW what I read. A favorite book of mine, read many, many times, and I always loved that scene. I commented on it in the theater, when we watched The Lost World. I know they stole that scene. Yet, by original book, bought brand new, is missing, and the replacement, same age, supposedly, same edition, doesn't have it. Regarding that missing book, in another thread, someone mentioned Reba McEntire, and I went looking for the disc. It's missing. Not in my computer, in the music files, or in the son's or hubby's systems, that have much of my music, and I KNOW I had the album ripped into the music files. So, not even a screen shot of the album cover!! Funny what goes missing, eh?

Anyway, hoping for some good discussion on cases like this, instead of the same old cases that are likely group false memories. Any personal accounts you can all share? Better yet, anyone have a copy of that book with the scene??

I absolutely agree with you on the faulty memories my daughter has been overwhelmingly interested in this topic. I haven't paid much attention to it. its just like that looney tunes thing or toons whatever it is too me its always been looney tunes.

Mandala effect is the new seeing humfn face in rocks. Have fun.

Worried that this thread will get closed by the mods, but here's my story.
The Giant Panda went extinct in, if my memory serves, 1987. Destruction of their natural habitat due to the Chinese government needing resources therein, combined with the difficulty in captive breeding, ended the species that Fall. My 5th or 6th grade science teacher even devoted all of the next day's classes to it, conservation efforts globally, and the need to protect endangered species.
It was also the top story on 60 Minutes, Frontline, etc.
But guess what! Nope. They are still extant, apparently. Which surprised the heck out of me about 7 years later when the news talked about a giant panda live birth at some famous zoo.
Only 1 other person I've ever encountered recalls this event, too.

a reply to: LadyGreenEyes
I watched the first video. It was about suggestions altering a memory.

I have one Mandela ( hate that term btw) that does not involve a suggestion. I'm sure others do as well.

Aside from that I agree memories can be faulty and open to suggestions. I accept I just expected the bears to be spelt stein since it seems the more usual spelling.

a reply to: pfishy
They're endangered. Easy to confuse their classification. Maybe?

a reply to: violet

I've considered that over the years, but I have too many distinct memories of news and science programs, as well as teachers, specifically stating that they were extinct. The last one passed away from natural causes in a zoo in Hong Kong. A male.
It was an extinction, without a doubt in my mind.

originally posted by: pfishy
a reply to: violet

I've considered that over the years, but I have too many distinct memories of news and science programs, as well as teachers, specifically stating that they were extinct. The last one passed away from natural causes in a zoo in Hong Kong. A male.
It was an extinction, without a doubt in my mind.

That's like mine then, other memories attached to it that support the main memory.

a reply to: violet

What do yours involve?

originally posted by: pfishy
Worried that this thread will get closed by the mods, but here's my story.
The Giant Panda went extinct in, if my memory serves, 1987. Destruction of their natural habitat due to the Chinese government needing resources therein, combined with the difficulty in captive breeding, ended the species that Fall. My 5th or 6th grade science teacher even devoted all of the next day's classes to it, conservation efforts globally, and the need to protect endangered species.
It was also the top story on 60 Minutes, Frontline, etc.
But guess what! Nope. They are still extant, apparently. Which surprised the heck out of me about 7 years later when the news talked about a giant panda live birth at some famous zoo.
Only 1 other person I've ever encountered recalls this event, too.

All wild pandas went extinct in 2003 they started reintroducing captive bread pandas back in to the wild. But your right they did go extinct and there was fear they couldn't get the captive pandas to breed. As of that point breeding was not easy and there were very few live births. However they turned it around by changing the captive breeding

a reply to: LadyGreenEyes
I enjoyed reading your examples, especially about the book scene.

originally posted by: pfishy
a reply to: violet

What do yours involve?

My main one is the clallenger disaster which I see is now in 1986. No way for me! It was in or before 1984. I know where I lived and I'm watching it on a 14 inch TV . In 1986 I had a big screen TV, different house. Other memories are attached to it, I was stunned to see it was 1986.

a reply to: dragonridr

I take it you're relaying the documented history related to what I said, as opposed to a 'Mandela' of your own. I distinctly recall the timeline of the events I remember, because it was the same year the Challenger disaster occurred, so my grade 6 year of school, being the following Autumn.
And the zoo birth several years later was before 2000, and before the Clinton Impeachment hearings. Actually, I think it was shortly after the O.J. Simpson trial wrapped up.

a reply to: violet

I have had a couple of people tell me it wasn't even Challenger. They remember MASA going ahead with their original plans and retrofitting the Enterprise test vehicle as a fully flight capable shuttle. And it was the ship that was involved in the disaster. But a few years later, viola, Enterprise was never modified or launched, and Challenger is gone.
But the Columbia disaster is still exactly the same in their timeline.

originally posted by: pfishy
a reply to: dragonridr

I take it you're relaying the documented history related to what I said, as opposed to a 'Mandela' of your own. I distinctly recall the timeline of the events I remember, because it was the same year the Challenger disaster occurred, so my grade 6 year of school, being the following Autumn.
And the zoo birth several years later was before 2000, and before the Clinton Impeachment hearings. Actually, I think it was shortly after the O.J. Simpson trial wrapped up.

My uncle was actually involved on helping to bring back the pandas from extinction. But yes at one point the only pandas were in zoos. My uncle worked at the Washington zoo then moved to atlantas. Fun part was when I visited I could go in to the panda areas. But even in school I wrote about the extinction of pandas. So it did happen.

a reply to: dragonridr

It did, but my memory contains distinctly and enduringly different details. Including the last panda being male, and having died in Hong Kong. I have less clear recollections of the impending extinction being talked about before hand, because the last female was already deceased by then.

That's the beauty of this 'effect'. I won't try to dispute the accuracy of the facts you stayed, because whatever the past seems to have held, they are now absolute.

Perception can be and is alterable.

Many will tell the same about the bible, every time you read it you can read more deeply into it and obtain a different meaning.

Your perception of life is constantly being altered by outside influences.

a reply to: killerworm51

Also true. But I have had this same memory of events since well before 2006. Until losing it a few years ago, I had my old journal that I expressed my surprise at discovering that they were still alive in 95. I wrote about the extinction and my absolute confusion about it being wrong, on the very day I heard about it. It was March of 95, if memory serves.

I was listening to Arthur Brown and his fire song. I'm sure it used to be "I am the God of hell and fire and I bring you ..."
Checked the lyrics and it is "I am the God of hellfire and I bring you ..."

a reply to: stormcell

Any odd memories about Frank Sinatra?