1) Start with a cage containing five monkeys. In this cage, hang a banana on a string and put stairs underneath it. Before long, a monkey will go to the stairs and start to climb toward the banana.
2) As soon as the monkey touches the stairs, spray all of the monkeys with cold water. Every time a monkey attempts to climb the stairs, again spray all of the monkeys with cold water. Keep this up for several days.
3) Turn off the water. Even though the water is off, every time a monkey attempts to climb the stairs, the other monkeys will prevent it even though no water sprays them.
4) Remove one of the monkeys from the cage and replace it with a new one. The new monkey sees the banana and wants to climb the stairs. To his horror, all of the other monkeys attack him. After another attempt and attack, he realizes that if he attempts to climb the stairs for the banana, he will be assaulted.
5) Remove another of the original five monkeys and replace it with a new one. The new monkey goes to the stairs and is attacked. The previous newcomer takes part in the punishment with enthusiasm.
6) Replace the third original monkey with a new one. The new one makes it to the stairs and is attacked as well. Two of the four monkeys that beat him have no idea why they were not permitted to climb the stairs nor why they are participating in the beating of the newest monkey.
7) After replacing the fourth and fifth original monkeys, all the monkeys which have been sprayed with cold water have been replaced. Nevertheless, no monkey ever again approachethe stairs.
Why not?
Because that's the way it's always been done around here!
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