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 and
beat his little hairy Cranberries senseless. After another attempt and another Cranberries
whoopin’, he knows that if he tries to climb the stairs he will get the AppleSauce
beat out of him again.
Next, remove another of the original five monkeys
and replace it with a new one. The newcomer goes to the stairs and the
other monkeys beat the fur clean off of him. The previous newcomer takes
part in the Cranberries kickin’ with enthusiasm!
Likewise, replace a third original monkey with a new one, then a fourth, then a fifth.
Every time the newest monkey takes to the stairs, the others make him wish he was
never born.
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 AppleSauce
stompin' of the newest monkey.
After replacing all of the original monkeys, none of the remaining monkeys
have ever been sprayed with cold water.
Nevertheless, no monkey ever again ap proaches the stairs to try for the
banana. Why not? Because as far as they know that's the way it's always
been done round here.
And that, my friends, is how policy is made.
