Posted By BB
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.

And that, my fellow monkey, is how policy begins.

Posted By GeoffB4
I don't understand why it is limited to male monkeys.

Posted By Pete48
But then comes a monkey with a hard hat, waterproofs, safety footwear and presence. Transferred from a fantasy show called, you guessed it, "sante et securitie"; a sort of "sound and light" show which others find quite challenging to understand.

SHE knows that she will not get wet but they will. They are more powerful than she is, there are many more of them too.
She also knows that bananas are so good that once tasted, everyone will want them and put up with the cold water soaking. In fact, there will be some who actually enjoy the cold water.
So, she charms her way onto the stairs and then shares the first few bananas with them.
And that "my little pseudo-anthropologists" (with apologies to Kenny E) is how we all came to be here waiting for a little bit of the next banana.
Must be the weekend :):):) LOL