Monday, July 28, 2008

Just Passing By

All right. I make no guarantees I'll be here on a regular basis but I wanted to share this:

Start with a cage containing five monkeys. Inside the cage, hang a banana on a string and place a set of stairs under it. Before long, a monkey will go to the stairs and start to climb towards the banana. As soon as he touches the stairs, spray all of the other monkeys with cold water. After a while, another monkey makes an attempt with the same result - all the other monkeys are sprayed with cold water. Pretty soon, when another monkey tries to climb the stairs, the other monkeys will try to prevent it.

Now, put away the cold water. Remove one monkey from the cage and replace it with a new one. The new monkey sees the banana and wants to climb the stairs. To his surprise and horror, all of the other monkeys attack him. After another attempt and attack, he knows that if he tries to climb the stairs, he will be assaulted.

Next, remove another of the original five monkeys and replace it with a new one. The newcomer goes to the stairs and is attacked. The previous newcomer takes part in the punishment with enthusiasm! Likewise, replace a third original monkey with a new one, then a fourth, then the fifth.

Every time the newest monkey takes to the stairs, he is attacked. Most of the monkeys that are beating him have no idea why they were not permitted to climb the stairs or why they are participating in the beating of the newest monkey.

After replacing all the original monkeys, none of the remaining monkeys have ever been sprayed with cold water. Nevertheless, no monkey ever again approaches the stairs to try for the banana.

Why not?

Because as far as they know that's the way it's always been done around here.

That's good stuff right there.

5 comments:

Phollower said...

tysgirl: Nope. I'm saying I like when fights break out over who gets my banana.

mama biscuit said...

Well, I can't say I'm the least bit surprised.

limpy99 said...

Everything is better when a monkey knife fight is involved.

Phollower said...

tysgirl: In all fairness, I'm really only assuming I'd like it should the unlikely event of a fight over my banana break out. I'm afraid my experience level with such events is small. But then again, so's the banana. Thank you very much, I'll be here all week.

limpy: Again, I don't have any experience with monkey knife fights but the idea certainly sounds promising. I'll defer to your expertise. How do lawyers know about that kind of thing? Wait a minute... that question seems to kind of answer itself doesn't it?

Party Girl said...

Nothing like a little monkey mob mentality, huh?