A bloke spotted walking a "pet banana" on a leash. The bizarre bloke is still sparking debate more than two years on.
In 2022, a post on Reddit went viral after it contained a very odd image of a man crossing a road while dragging a banana behind him . . . on a leash. The snap was taken somewhere in the UK, although the exact location was not identified – nor was the bloke, as the image was taken from behind.
But Reddit being Reddit, the comments were filled with theories about what was going on, and it still divides internet users to this day. One claimed that he was actually walking his string, the banana is for scale,” while another said that “the price of dogs” could have something to do with it.
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A third wrote: “We were proper shielded as children. Bananas in pyjamas, now its bananas crossing the road while the light is red.” And a fourth claimed it was actually a “plantain,” not a banana.
However, the conversation quickly turned serious, when one Reddit user said that the banana could actually be a form of therapy.
Citing a clinical psychology and mental health website called huibee, an expert claims that walking a banana is a “behavioural experiment for social anxiety”. The claim comes a woman called Hui Bee who has more qualifications in mental health than most ever will.
She wrote, describing having taken her own “pet banana” for a walk with a friend: “The idea is to do something and make people really look at you. In fact some people are often so self-conscious, being worried about what other people think about them, whether they look stupid, look anxious or too awkward etc.
“With experiments of this sort you probably find out the reaction could be quite different from what you think. But even if it was what you think – that 'you look stupid', 'you look so anxious,' 'you look like an idiot' – those are just their thoughts!
“So what? It’s nothing catastrophic. Let them think what they want. It’s like people who are overly anxious doing public speaking, worrying they might make mistake.
“Well okay there are a lot of thing you could do to present your best, but what if you make mistakes? What if… you make a mistake deliberately? Laugh it off?
“Chances are you are going to survive it anyway, why worry? This is my way of seeing it.”
So there you go – have a pet banana is actually not the worst idea. Give it a try and let us know how it goes by emailing adam.cailler@reachplc.com.
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