There was a story about a psychological experiment that involved monkeys, a ladder and a bunch of bananas. This story has been told in different versions. It has been said to have originated with the research done by Stephenson G.R. in 1967 titled “Cultural acquisition of a specific learned response among rhesus monkeys.” Here the story goes in my own understanding.
In a psychological experiment eight monkeys were put together in a place - a room. Therein was a ladder that led to a ceiling where there was a bunch of bananas visible to the monkeys. They could only get to the bunch of bananas through the ladder. But the psychologist had a hidden plan - an obstacle in their (monkeys) way. So, quickly, one of the monkeys tried to climb the ladder to go and get the bananas, but the psychologist sprayed all the other monkeys with an iced water. And that made them so mad that they rushed and prevented the monkey from climbing the ladder further. They gave him the worst beating of his life. Thus, any monkey that tried to climb the ladder received from the other monkeys a terrible beating because the other monkeys didn’t want to be sprayed with the iced water. Subsequently, none of the eight monkeys tried to climb the ladder, but they all admired the bananas that were up at the ceiling.
So, the psychologist decided to remove one of the eight monkeys and replaced him with a new monkey. Upon his arrival the new monkey was surprised that none of the other monkeys was attempting to climb the ladder to get the bananas. He thought he was smarter than the rest, hence he quickly ran to climb the ladder. But he was shocked that the other monkeys beat the hell out of him. Consequently, he didn’t attempt again to climb the ladder so as to avoid being beaten. While he was there the psychologist removed a second monkey and replaced him with a new monkey. Just like the previous new monkey, the newcomer quickly tried to climb the ladder and he received a terrible beating. This time the other new monkey joined the original monkeys to beat the newcomer. Though he didn’t know why he participated in the beating, but he enjoyed it, as he too had been beaten.
Subsequently, the psychologist removed a third monkey. Just like the previous two new monkeys, the newcomer tried to climb the ladder and he was beaten up by the other monkeys, including the previous two newcomers. Like the other two the newcomer didn’t know why he was beaten, but he didn’t attempt to climb the ladder again. Thus, in that succession the psychologist removed the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and the final of the original eight monkeys, hence replacing them with newcomers. Interestingly, every newcomer who had attempted to climb the ladder got beaten by the other monkeys.
Nonetheless eight new monkeys were left in the room, each had been beaten and also had beaten others without knowing why they were beaten or why they participated in beating others. Quite interestingly, none of them had been sprayed with the iced water. All they knew was that they tried to climb the ladder and they were beaten by the monkeys that they met. To them it was just the status quo and they were willing to maintain the status quo without knowing why.
Thinking about recent events across the world reminded me of the story afore-told. There are people who fight vehemently to maintain the status quo without knowing why. There are electorates who vote at every election, but they don’t know why they vote for those candidates, except that they were told to vote. There are people on the right who fight people on the left and vice versa, but they don’t know why they are fighting, except that they want to maintain the status quo.
Imagine you were one of the new monkeys and you just found out that the reason you were prevented from climbing the ladder to get that which you liked so much - the bananas - was because the other original monkeys didn’t like iced water sprayed on them? Imagine you just found out as one of the new monkeys that the reason you participated in beating your fellow newcomers was just because your fellow monkeys didn’t like iced water? Just imagine yourself as a monkey and the banana as your vote, your goal, your dream, your plan, your... name it, and the ladder the means to achieve that which you desire the most?
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