• We have updated the guidelines regarding posting political content: please see the stickied thread on Website Issues.

The Mandela Effect: False Memory

I am having to fight NOT to create a false memory.

But the urge for this 'imagining' to become a real memory is very very strong. I keep having to reassure myself that it was me, telling myself a mental story (I'm an author, we do this kind of thing all the time, the 'what ifs' are what books are based on) and NOT REAL. In fact, I'm putting this here so that if my mind starts to slide, I have definite proof that this is a false memory. Or not even a memory, but something I created myself and almost 'implanted' in my own head.

Hard to explain, but I know it's not real. For now.

^This

I too have a false "thought" which I can't describe as a memory but feels just like a memory. I know it to be false and yet the echo of it is always there. It began as an echo from a dream. I woke up from a nightmare and the bad thought/thing/memory has been with me since. Mine actually has had a negative effect IRL and I somtimes forget that it never actually happened.
 
^This

I too have a false "thought" which I can't describe as a memory but feels just like a memory. I know it to be false and yet the echo of it is always there. It began as an echo from a dream. I woke up from a nightmare and the bad thought/thing/menory has been with me since. Mine actually has had a negative effect IRL and I somtimes forget that it never actually happened.

I have this happen too. Mine is linked to brain damage (not saying yours or anyone else's is) but I find it interesting how we can create these really realistic scenarios and memories that are just as good as the real thing
 
Phew, @Ringo and @Skyrymr. I am so glad you understand what I mean, I was rather worried that it was something unique to me! It's a strange thing, isn't it, but does go some way to showing how 'thoughts' can start to appear as 'memories' - maybe a link to the way adults remember 'seeing# things as children? (Particularly thinking of the poster who 'remembered a cartoon giraffe poking its head under a door, when the adults were talking about a 'draft' coming under the door).
 
Superfluous # in there, sorry.
 
In about 15 years there will be people swearing that there was a forum on the internet dedicated to Fortean pursuits. Some will even remember posting on it...
 
I have a lot to do today and so I'm obviously surfing Youtube instead. I just got sucked into a Mandela vortex and lost 90 minutes of my life. People claiming that the number of seats in JFK's limo have changed, movie quotes have been altered, scenes from the Matrix are missing etc.

I'm not sure what to think. Time for lunch.

We saw a 'mandela jfk' video on there not that long ago.. can't make up my mind about the 4-seat / 6-seat thing but I will admit to being surprised at the 'Zapruder' footage this time around because I swear it looked different than last time I'd seen it (and I've seen it a few times over the years so I thought I was familiar with it).
 
We saw a 'mandela jfk' video on there not that long ago.. can't make up my mind about the 4-seat / 6-seat thing but I will admit to being surprised at the 'Zapruder' footage this time around because I swear it looked different than last time I'd seen it (and I've seen it a few times over the years so I thought I was familiar with it).

That one is easily explained. There was a 4 seater Lincoln Continental in the parade. But it wasn't the car that Kennedy was in. LBJ's wife was in there among others. In some instances, this car has been misidentified as JFK's car.

http://jfk.hood.edu/Collection/Weisberg Subject Index Files/M Disk/Motorcade Route/Item 15.pdf
 
That one is easily explained. There was a 4 seater Lincoln Continental in the parade. But it wasn't the car that Kennedy was in. LBJ's wife was in there among others. In some instances, this car has been misidentified as JFK's car.

http://jfk.hood.edu/Collection/Weisberg Subject Index Files/M Disk/Motorcade Route/Item 15.pdf

Good point, and I think the problem also lies with people assuming the car had 4 seats because hey, most cars do. :)

Still not sure why the Zapruder footage looked different though; for this I'm not talking about the number of seats (apologies, I realise from re-reading my post that wasn't clear) - it was the frames, and angle of shots that looked different this time around. For example there was a view from a different vantage point on the footage that I had not seen on earlier viewings.
 
Still not sure why the Zapruder footage looked different though; for this I'm not talking about the number of seats (apologies, I realise from re-reading my post that wasn't clear) - it was the frames, and angle of shots that looked different this time around. For example there was a view from a different vantage point on the footage that I had not seen on earlier viewings.
Perhaps it's the other way around? You previous viewings had been influenced by the Zeitgeist and various stills, discussions etc, and this time you really looked at it.
 
Perhaps it's the other way around? You previous viewings had been influenced by the Zeitgeist and various stills, discussions etc, and this time you really looked at it.
I too seem to remember the Zapruder footage as being on a different angle. This time we seemed closer to and more above the car (as oppossed to being further away and lower down). But as Coal mentioned, I think selective attention is responsible. I don't subscribe o the Mandela effect here.

One thing that did seem odd however, was how long the view of the Kennedys was obscured by the road sign. JFK emerges from behind it already clutching his throat. The first shot got him whilst he was obscured from view. I don't remember it like that, I thought it happened just as he was emerging.
 
Time to bump one of the greatest Creepypastas ever.
The truly inspired and chilling account of imprecise shared memories of a children's programme.
If you haven't read it, you're in for a real treat.
I give you ... Candle Cove:

http://www.creepypasta.org/creepypasta/candle-cove

Is the original thread/story supposed to be real or is creepypasta just made up stories that people pretend are real for the fun of freaking themselves out?
 
Is the original thread/story supposed to be real or is creepypasta just made up stories that people pretend are real for the fun of freaking themselves out?

You mean you don't remember watching Candle Cove?

With Creepypastas it's the uncertainty about whether the spooky tales contain a grain of truth that makes them so compelling.

Ted the Caver is another good example. That even spawned a movie - Living Dark, which claimed to be based on true events.
 
OK. I'm deep down the rabbit hole now with the Mandela effect.

Anyone heard the one about Star Trek TNG? I used to watch this program every day. I was a huge fan. Now apparently, Picard had a large clear crystal which he was constantly playing with. If not in his hands, then on his desk or someone else would be holding it. Anyone remember that?
 
OK. I'm deep down the rabbit hole now with the Mandela effect.

Anyone heard the one about Star Trek TNG? I used to watch this program every day. I was a huge fan. Now apparently, Picard had a large clear crystal which he was constantly playing with. If not in his hands, then on his desk or someone else would be holding it. Anyone remember that?

It apparently appeared in 78 episodes but I never noticed it (and just asked - neither does Mrs Tribble). Maybe I'm from one of the realities where it didn't appear.

https://www.alternatememories.com/historical-events/tv/star-trek-picard-s-crystal

(At first I thought your memory was inspired by Sisko's baseball but no... Wonder if other captains had desk toys?)
 
Last edited:
I wondered if this was a genuine thing we hadn't noticed/forgotten or whether someone has put one in with CGI, replacing those little flat screen/pad things they used to have?
 
I wondered if this was a genuine thing we hadn't noticed/forgotten or whether someone has put one in with CGI, replacing those little flat screen/pad things they used to have?

PADDs. You reckon they'd replace ~78 instances of Picard and others toying with a PADD like a fidget toy, including changing hand positions and shadows, just to mess with us?
More likely it's redirection. We're too focused on faces and dialogue to notice the little details.
 
PADDs. You reckon they'd replace ~78 instances of Picard and others toying with a PADD like a fidget toy, including changing hand positions and shadows, just to mess with us?
More likely it's redirection. We're too focused on faces and dialogue to notice the little details.

No, you misunderstood me. I should have wrote that "I wondered at first" if it was just a fake video (it showed about 10 instances of the crystal) until I read about the 78 episodes.
 
OK. I'm deep down the rabbit hole now with the Mandela effect.

Anyone heard the one about Star Trek TNG? I used to watch this program every day. I was a huge fan. Now apparently, Picard had a large clear crystal which he was constantly playing with. If not in his hands, then on his desk or someone else would be holding it. Anyone remember that?
Don't remember that.
 
I remember it.
I certainly don't recall this.

However, evidently, not a false memory at all!

20181020_62032408.jpg
 
I too seem to remember the Zapruder footage as being on a different angle. This time we seemed closer to and more above the car (as oppossed to being further away and lower down). But as Coal mentioned, I think selective attention is responsible. I don't subscribe o the Mandela effect here.

One thing that did seem odd however, was how long the view of the Kennedys was obscured by the road sign. JFK emerges from behind it already clutching his throat. The first shot got him whilst he was obscured from view. I don't remember it like that, I thought it happened just as he was emerging.

Yes! Yes! And thrice Yes!

That's the thing I was trying (badly) to convey, the road sign! Exactly it, the road sign shots were never there before when I'd previously viewed the footage. Perhaps the frames were missing from whatever version I'd seen, but that somehow doesn't explain it. It's different now.
 
Yes! Yes! And thrice Yes!

That's the thing I was trying (badly) to convey, the road sign! Exactly it, the road sign shots were never there before when I'd previously viewed the footage. Perhaps the frames were missing from whatever version I'd seen, but that somehow doesn't explain it. It's different now.
I remember the road sign suddenly appearing too - but maybe we got familiar with a reconstruction - like the JFK movie or something?
 
I remember the road sign suddenly appearing too - but maybe we got familiar with a reconstruction - like the JFK movie or something?

Ah another one! :)

I've not seen a JFK movie (only ever seen JFK youtube videos) but I've always thought I was watching 'Zapruder Footage' (among other footage, I believe there's others?) It's definitely not a reconstruction in my mind, it's definitely the real JFK / Jackie / etc, not actors.

It's almost as if the new footage is enhanced too (picture quality like) - cos I always remember I could manage to watch the footage because it wasn't too gory (I don't like gory). But I'm sure when I saw this last, and there was suddenly the new / changed parts (road sign etc) the actual incident was more detailed too, more gory than it ever was.

Could it be that someone has cleaned up / enhanced the footage (which would explain the extra gory-ness) but additionally found new frames that were somehow lost before? Would this explain it? Would it explain the differences though? Things can like quite different depending on the quality of the footage sometimes. Not sure it would explain a suddenly appearing road sign though, or the differing angle?

(Sorry, I'm just conversing with myself in my head here :D)

Thoughts? Who on here is very familiar with the Zapruder footage?
 
Ah another one! :)

I've not seen a JFK movie (only ever seen JFK youtube videos) but I've always thought I was watching 'Zapruder Footage' (among other footage, I believe there's others?) It's definitely not a reconstruction in my mind, it's definitely the real JFK / Jackie / etc, not actors.

It's almost as if the new footage is enhanced too (picture quality like) - cos I always remember I could manage to watch the footage because it wasn't too gory (I don't like gory). But I'm sure when I saw this last, and there was suddenly the new / changed parts (road sign etc) the actual incident was more detailed too, more gory than it ever was.

Could it be that someone has cleaned up / enhanced the footage (which would explain the extra gory-ness) but additionally found new frames that were somehow lost before? Would this explain it? Would it explain the differences though? Things can like quite different depending on the quality of the footage sometimes. Not sure it would explain a suddenly appearing road sign though, or the differing angle?

(Sorry, I'm just conversing with myself in my head here :D)

Thoughts? Who on here is very familiar with the Zapruder footage?
There are some frames that were edited out but I’m not aware they have ever been put back?
 
Back
Top