The Mandela Effect is a collective misremembering of a fact or event. Various theories have been proposed to explain what causes it, some more sensible than others.

If you were a recipient of a public school education, you’re privy to one of the most beautiful stories ever told. Through human decency and peaceful protest, Nelson Mandela ended the apartheid policies of South Africa – freeing the oppressed black masses from their colonial chains. While predictable in its oppressor/oppressed theme, a favorite of progressives, the story has a noble charm that has permeated the minds of those in the West.  Unfortunately for South Africa, very little of what we have been told is true.

Aside from Wakanda, the leftist interpretation of South African history is the greatest fictional tale about an African country. Called the Rainbow Nation by those too ignorant to investigate the topic deeper than the 6th grade text books go, South Africa has quietly become one of the most dangerous countries in the world.

Like most fairy tales, the popular stories always end before reality sets in. Just as we don’t get to see Cinderella and Prince Charming bickering over how to raise their child, the story of South Africa is often ended with Nelson Mandela rising from political prisoner to savior of the oppressed.

Mandela, who does have a photogenic smile, became a worldwide hero and symbol for freedom. As you read the following information, I request upon you to consider the following question: If your violent, child killing revolution decimated an economy and created an incompetent, corrupt wasteland of race inspired murder and rape, would you consider the act of grinning like a fool appropriate?

Often described first and foremost as a revolutionary, Mandela was the head of “Umkhonto we Sizwe”, a terrorist wing of the South African Communist party. Once captured, he pleaded guilty to 156 acts of public violence including mobilizing terrorist bombing campaigns. Many innocent people, including women and children, were killed in the attacks. This disregard for innocent lives for the sake of maintaining ideology will be a consistent theme:

Here are some highlights:

• Church Street West, Pretoria, on the 20 May 1983
• Amanzimtoti Shopping complex KZN, 23 December 1985
• Krugersdorp Magistrate’s Court, 17 March 1988
• Durban Pick ‘n Pay shopping complex, 1 September 1986
• Pretoria Sterland movie complex 16 April 1988 – limpet mine killed ANC terrorist M O Maponya instead
• Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court, 20 May 1987
• Roodepoort Standard Bank 3 June, 1988

Once arrested, the political prisoner (child murderer) was refused legal assistance from Amnesty International – given that Mandela refused to renounce his past violence.

The apartheid era ending in 1994, the clock strikes midnight moment of our story, is the end of the popular narrative of this tale. Like the snakes driven out of Ireland by St. Patrick, the white “colonizers” were suddenly pushed out of the important roles of government. What ensued can only be described as the worst societal collapse in modern history.

It should not be a surprise to anyone who has seen the videos of Nelson Mandela singing about killing all the South African whites that race would remain a major topic in the nation’s politics. Jacob Zuma, an accused rapist who won two terms as South African president, continued the trend by pushing legislation to confiscate land from white farmers without any financial compensation.

The issues have not been purely legislative. Since the end of apartheid, South Africa has become the rape capital of the world and a competitor for murder capital of the world. Between 1998 and the end of 2016, 1848 people have been murdered in farm attacks — 1187 farmers, 490 family members, 147 farm employees, and 24 people who happened to be visiting the farm at the time.

In an attempt to spare you from the true depths of depravity encountered in South Africa, I’ll only delve into one popular method of dealing with white South Africans. Essentially, victims were wrapped in barbwire and beaten. A rubber tire was then applied around the victim’s chest and lit on fire. Needless to say, the results were horrific. In 1986 Winnie Mandela, then-wife of Nelson Mandela, stated “With our boxes of matches and our necklaces we shall liberate this country” which was widely seen as an implicit endorsement of necklacing.

If you’re somehow able to avoid being raped and murdered by goons that seem to have the government’s blessing, the economy has also collapsed in the post-apartheid era. According to the Human Development Index, a ranking system that weighs life expectancy, expected years of schooling, gross national income, etc., South Africa has dropped 40 places in recent years. According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, South Africa’s education was ranked 75th of 76 countries studied. A shocking 27% of pupils who have attended school for six years cannot read, compared with 4% in Tanzania and 19% in Zimbabwe.

In America, we have a popular sentiment expressed by the left that a black person can’t be racist against a white person. I would wonder if a power drill to the thigh or a daughter raped and gutted would change any minds. So, next time you see an iconic picture of Nelson Mandela and his beloved smile, maybe one captioned with a quote about peace and equality, take a moment to consider these facts. Take a moment to remember that burning tires and exploding eyes once caused that same smile.