({this was one of the monologues I wrote/performed for the MENding Monologues last week})
I heard about this study in which an ape was put in a room with a bunch of bananas. He had access to all of them, including one up high that was wired to give him a shock. When the ape touched this Electric Banana, he received a shock.
Then the scientists introduced another ape into the room. When the second ape tried to reach for the Electric Banana, the first ape, not wanting his new friend to receive a shock, hit him over the head.
The scientists then removed the first ape and turned off the Electric Banana. They kept rotating apes into the room but none of them ever touched that banana because, if they tried, the ape that was already there would hit them over the head.
Something scientific had just happened. And I don’t know what it was because I’m neither an ape nor a scientist. I call this it Electric Banana Effect: an ape will hit you over the head to keep you from getting a shock.
I think humans could use an Electric Banana experiment. But I don’t think we’d go for it because, well, we aren’t apes. We can speak, for one thing. We can say, “Say old boy, don’t touch that banana or you’ll get quite a shock.”
We also have Social Conventions. We would never think of hitting you over the head to keep you from getting a shock. Especially in a laboratory with scientists looking on.
But you’re going to get the shock, aren’t you? Even if I say the banana’s wired, you’re going to touch it. The shock you receive is your punishment for not believing me; and my punishment for not being ape enough to hit you over the head.
But are Social Conventions more civilized? In a classroom, on a committee or at work, Social Conventions actually keep us from telling each other what would help the communication process. We don’t want to shock anyone with A, B, C… so we hit them over the head with A, B, C…
I call it ABC Theory: A is a shocking thing that happened to someone; B is how A makes someone feel; and C is how someone comes to terms with A&B. ABC Theory used to drive me crazy. Why can’t people just say, “I have ABC, so please go easy on me”?
Then I took part in an experiment also known as a V-Day rehearsal. As V-Day is a global movement to end violence, many of the people involved have experienced violence. These people felt comfortable enough to share their As, Bs and Cs; and hearing them didn’t kill me. In fact it made me want to help.
That’s when I came up with the D Effect. If A is a shocking thing that happened to you; and B is how you feel about that; and C is how you’re coping with it ; then let D be what I can do to help.
I never wanted to shock anyone with my ABC so I hit them over the head with it. I resented people for not telling me about their ABCs and I would never ask for the D Effect because I didn’t think I deserved it.
And then I realized that the people who need the D Effect most might not know how to ask for it.
And that hit me like an Electric Banana.
If the D Effect is part of the solution, why am I withholding it? I mean The D Effect works if people have an ABC or not; or tell me or not or if they have ABC and don’t know it. So I’m going to use it on everyone and, if they’re working through something it will help a lot and, if they aren’t it will still work.
When you look at the statistics it’s pretty safe to assume that everyone you meet might be a little bit broken and might be putting some pieces back together and might not have thought to mention it, because, well, we’re not apes.
So the D Effect works best when liberally applied. I think it’s what separates us from the Apes.
I heard about this study in which an ape was put in a room with a bunch of bananas. He had access to all of them, including one up high that was wired to give him a shock. When the ape touched this Electric Banana, he received a shock.
Then the scientists introduced another ape into the room. When the second ape tried to reach for the Electric Banana, the first ape, not wanting his new friend to receive a shock, hit him over the head.
The scientists then removed the first ape and turned off the Electric Banana. They kept rotating apes into the room but none of them ever touched that banana because, if they tried, the ape that was already there would hit them over the head.
Something scientific had just happened. And I don’t know what it was because I’m neither an ape nor a scientist. I call this it Electric Banana Effect: an ape will hit you over the head to keep you from getting a shock.
I think humans could use an Electric Banana experiment. But I don’t think we’d go for it because, well, we aren’t apes. We can speak, for one thing. We can say, “Say old boy, don’t touch that banana or you’ll get quite a shock.”
We also have Social Conventions. We would never think of hitting you over the head to keep you from getting a shock. Especially in a laboratory with scientists looking on.
But you’re going to get the shock, aren’t you? Even if I say the banana’s wired, you’re going to touch it. The shock you receive is your punishment for not believing me; and my punishment for not being ape enough to hit you over the head.
But are Social Conventions more civilized? In a classroom, on a committee or at work, Social Conventions actually keep us from telling each other what would help the communication process. We don’t want to shock anyone with A, B, C… so we hit them over the head with A, B, C…
I call it ABC Theory: A is a shocking thing that happened to someone; B is how A makes someone feel; and C is how someone comes to terms with A&B. ABC Theory used to drive me crazy. Why can’t people just say, “I have ABC, so please go easy on me”?
Then I took part in an experiment also known as a V-Day rehearsal. As V-Day is a global movement to end violence, many of the people involved have experienced violence. These people felt comfortable enough to share their As, Bs and Cs; and hearing them didn’t kill me. In fact it made me want to help.
That’s when I came up with the D Effect. If A is a shocking thing that happened to you; and B is how you feel about that; and C is how you’re coping with it ; then let D be what I can do to help.
I never wanted to shock anyone with my ABC so I hit them over the head with it. I resented people for not telling me about their ABCs and I would never ask for the D Effect because I didn’t think I deserved it.
And then I realized that the people who need the D Effect most might not know how to ask for it.
And that hit me like an Electric Banana.
If the D Effect is part of the solution, why am I withholding it? I mean The D Effect works if people have an ABC or not; or tell me or not or if they have ABC and don’t know it. So I’m going to use it on everyone and, if they’re working through something it will help a lot and, if they aren’t it will still work.
When you look at the statistics it’s pretty safe to assume that everyone you meet might be a little bit broken and might be putting some pieces back together and might not have thought to mention it, because, well, we’re not apes.
So the D Effect works best when liberally applied. I think it’s what separates us from the Apes.
