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| Thinking For Yourself From the Barfly Newspaper Cairns, AU Start with a cage containing five monkeys. Inside the cage, hang a banana on a string and place a set of steps under it. Before long, a monkey will go to the steps and start to climb towards the banana. As soon as he touches the steps, spray all of the monkeys with cold water. After a while, another monkey makes an attempt with the same result - all the monkeys are sprayed with cold water. Pretty soon, when any of the monkeys try to climb the steps, the other monkeys try to prevent it. Now remove one monkey from the cage and replace it with a new one. The new monkey sees the banana and goes to climb the steps. To his surprise and horror, all of the other monkeys attack him. After another couple of attemtps, he knows that if he tries to climb the steps, he will be assaulted. Now remove another of the original monkeys and replace it with a new one. The new-comer goes to the steps and is attacked, and the previous newcomer takes part in the punishment with enthusiasm. Now replace the third original monkey with a new one. The new one makes it to the steps and is attacked as well. Two of the four monkeys that beat him have no idea why they were not permitted to climb the steps, or why they are participating in the beating of the newest monkey. After replacing the fourth and fifth original monkeys, all the monkeys that have been sprayed with cold water have been replaced. Nevertheless, no monkey will ever again approach the steps. Why not? Because as far as they know that's the way its always been around here. And that's how policy begins....Question It |
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