By Christopher Lung
Staff Writer
Three weeks ago, I encountered a shocking incident when I was eating breakfast. Apparently, the “Froot Loops” cereal never had the word “fruit” in it. I researched this and discovered a phenomenon called the Mandela Effect. Once I decided to read more about this topic, my entire life changed forever.
The term Mandela Effect was coined by Fiona Broome, who is an “author, researcher, and paranormal consultant,” according to her webpage biography. In 2013, Broome was shocked to discover that that was the year that Nelson Mandela died. She claimed to have vivid recollections of him dying in prison in the 1980s. Other individuals claimed that they saw his funeral air on TV in the 20th century.
According to Snopes.com, a conspiracy website, the Mandela Effect refers to a “collective misremembering of a fact or event.” Even the term “collective misremembering” creeps me out. Although these Internet rumors might seem sketchy,these sites specialize in analyzing conspiracy theories.
After browsing through many theories on alternate timelines and collisions between parallel universes, there is no denying the existence of this strange occurrence. Confabulation, which psychiatrists define as an invented, twisted, or misunderstood memory disturbance, might be a viable explanation for the Mandela Effect. However, I think these are the effects of sorcery and witchcraft.
The most obvious example is one of my favorite childhood series. As a child, I clearly remembered Curious George having a tail, but it turns out he was always tail-less. What kind of monkey doesn’t have a tail?
Over the next few days, my extensive research definitely made me doubt my sanity. Rich Uncle Pennybags, the mascot of Monopoly, never had a monocle. Febreze air freshner was never spelled with two Es.
In Disney’s “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” the Evil Queen said “magic mirror on the wall” instead of “mirror mirror on the wall.” Was my entire childhood a dream?
Whether alternate memories and realities exist or not, the Mandela Effect cannot be denied. My entire existence has come into question. Frankly, this conspiracy theory is mildly disturbing.
