Mandela Effect - Page 4

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These common memories can easily be chalked up to a healthy combination of ignorance, misremembering, and a massive ego. Their namesake is literally due to their confusing Nelson Mandela with Stephen Biko, another South African anti-apartheid activist. Biko actually did die in 1977 in prison after repeated beatings by police[6]. If that isn't proof enough, what about the fact that Mandela went on to become president of South Africa despite the notable handicap of being dead[7]? And his later re-deadening in 2013[8]? And how exactly did so many Mandela is Dead believers seem to congregate in this universe/timestream/whatever?

Because we didn't put him in a Micmac burial ground to return as so many cats have.

All 52 States

The idea that the United States has 51 or 52 states can be be traced to the fact that most of the anecdotes come, admittedly, from non-Americans. I assume they're confusing Washington DC and other territories with states. Or confusing the 48 continental states plus Alaska and Hawaii, mistaking it for 50 plus Alaska and Hawaii. I almost can't believe that this even bears saying, that there are allegedly educated people that would give this particular "memory" any credence. There's also been a long running pop culture reference to 52 states, such as in the Insane Clown Posse song Fuck the World[9], as well as in many TV shows and movies as a joke over the years, or at least that's how I remember it in this timestream.

The Berenstain Bears

The Berenstain Bears have always been Berenstain Bears. People likely remember it differently due to it having an unusual spelling. I've noticed three differing views of this, that:

• It was spelled Berenstein, like typical Yiddish names and pronounced like most Jewish Americans pronounce -stein [ber\@nsti:n] (see X-SAMPA)
• It was spelled Berenstain, but pronounced Berenstane [ber\@nsteIn], not Berenstein.
• It was spelled Berenstein, but pronounced either way

I wouldn't even call it "remembering" differently, they simply assume it had to be -stein or their parents assumed and read it to them that way. A cursory census search finds only 13 Americans with this surname[10], one of them being an author of these books.

The reason for spelling difference is not known, but it's almost certainly because of how "stein" is pronounced in Yiddish -- closer to stane [steIn] than steen [sti:n], in fact "steen" is an American thing; hell I've even heard a few people say "Einsteen" for "Einstein" over the years, unironically.

It's possible that upon entering the United States their pronunciation was probably closer to Yiddish, so it was simply written "stain", or this could have been an alternate transliteration of Yiddish itself[11]. In either case it has always been oddly spelled but still read/pronounced as though it was spelled Berenstein. People have mixed these up over the years; I even recall doing this 30+ years ago, and the cursive letter A they typically use is not as apparently different from an E.

Billy Graham

The fact is, that desiccated old fossil Billy Graham is still kicking at 95. I also thought he was dead, then I remember it was Jerry Falwell's funeral everyone was talking about in 2007, I just got my religious bigots mixed up later on. He's old as all hell, probably played on the high school football team with Methuselah. Why do people believe he's dead? The obvious answer is because he's old. Because they're confusing him with televangelist Jerry Falwell or Oral Roberts, who are in fact dead and have been since 2007[12] and 2009[13], respectively.

It's pretty obvious none of these people research their stupid claims, as no one mentioned these two as possible mix ups. The most unbelievable aspect of this one is the crux of the claim, that they are super duper sure because they watch a lot of TV and it was preempted for coverage of Graham's funeral, and as if anyone would give a shit. The only thing that will be preempted for his funeral coverage is Davey and Goliath reruns.

Tank Man

According to the Mandelites (aren't I clever? Trademark pending!), evidently Tank Man was violently run over. I chalk this one up to complete historical ignorance and bloodlust. People are familiar with the image of the man in front of the tank and just assume he was killed. After all, it's clearly a brutal regime with tanks rolling down the streets -- obviously they would simply run over this man. Except that's not what happened and no, there's no footage of his head being squished, even though every time I see the video I cheer for the tank to do it right this time; that'll show 'em!

Henry VIII

The idea that there's a portrait of Henry VIII holding a turkey leg is a mishmash of pop culture -- especially from cartoons -- and a painting of him holding his gloves[14]. Admittedly they do look like a chicken leg. But they aren't and such a portrait doesn't exist no matter how much you think you remember it from grade school.

If only ol' Hank knew how people just assumed he ate all the time, he'd be rolling over in his piano box right now.

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