The Mandela Effect Makes Movies Better

My submission to The Essay Library's collaboration, "These Video Essays Do Not Exist."
@theessaylibrary

Link to the full Essay Library compilation video:

These Video Essays Do Not Exist Playlist:

Why do people misremember the famous line from Jaws, "You're gonna need a bigger boat," as "We're gonna need a bigger boat?"

Twitter: @BackpackBigBlue

Royalty Free Music by Bensound

[Afterthoughts]

This turned out AMAZING. I love your theory that how we remember these phrases reveals what we WANT them to mean to us :)

[gary.h.turner]

This even applies to real-life examples, e.g. "Houston, we've got a problem" was really "Houston, we've had a problem." 🌚

[caesar]

Other examples:
“Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore” (Wizard of Oz)
“Houston, we’ve had a problem” (Apollo 13)
“Life was like a box of chocolates” (Forrest Gump)
“ET home phone” (ET)
“Fly, you fools” (Lord of the Rings)
“It’s alive” (Frankenstein)

[Ellanion]

Saying "we're going to need a bigger boat" when in over one's head makes more sense though. It's a reference to the movie, but changed to better suit the situation. That feels less Mandela effect and more memetic mutation.

[shottyjonny]

For a video with less than a thousand views, you make an excellent point.

People often do this in real life situations and is why witness testimony is so fallible. Emotions heavily influence our recalling of specifics. We remember harsher tones when we feel attacked and vice versa. Humans are emotional animals and movies are made to activate you emotionally. It makes sense that we remember things wrong, but more in tune with our emotions.

[just-another-lunatic]

2:02 in the original german fairy tale it actually is "mirror, mirror on the wall" ( "Spieglein, Spieglein an der Wand, ...") so it is not even 100% wrong.

[tirex]

1:44 It's "Mirror, Mirror on the wall" in the fairy tale, as told by the Grimm brothers, or more precisely in German: "Spieglein, Spieglein an der Wand".

[Jesselaj]

Very well said. The supernatural discourse on this annoys me partially because it prevents the more interesting discussion about the actual causes, which are neat, as you discussed

[HizzyHay]

Loved this entry! Clever explanation for how a collective can remember lines a different way

[TheDanishGuyReviews]

The monocle Monopoly Man DOES exist! He's on Monopoly Jr bills here in Europe. I have a copy myself.

[squizzo]

A lot of Mandela effects are the result of parody or the spreading of misinformation more than a memory phenomenon. I thought the line in Casablanca was "play it again Sam" even though I've never seen Casablanca, so it can't be a case of faulty memory. I obviously picked up the wrong line from other people who have the line wrong or from parodies that have the line wrong.

[tardisrider]

I always fell left out with the Mandela effect. I have yet to share in misremembering any of these.

[kuikkar]

Here's a perspective: Never seen Jaws, never even seen the clip of him saying the line. But it's iconic so I've heard it being referred to. It's definitely always been you're, no we're.

[mattwayne]

The bears was the result of a misprint book run that has the wrong name sold via scholastic book fair

[quantumofconscience]

Good try explaining the M.E. away as misremembering... but it's very real.

[aSophisticatedDuck]

First. also awesome vid.





Pin?