:Tall poppy syndrome

File:Lawrence Alma-Tadema 11.jpeg, depicting the king sweeping the tallest heads from a patch of poppies]]

Tall poppy syndrome is a term that originated in Australia and New Zealand in the 1980s that refers to people with notable public success, who excessively promote their own achievements and opinions.{{cite journal |last1=Peeters |first1=Bert |title=Tall poppies and egalitarianism in Australian discourse: From key word to cultural value |journal=English World-Wide |date=2004 |volume=25 |issue=1 |pages=1–25 |doi=10.1075/eww.25.1.02pee }}{{Cite news |date=2007-02-26 |title=Opinion {{!}} Tall poppies flourish Down Under |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/26/opinion/26iht-edbowring.html |access-date=2023-05-12 |issn=0362-4331}} Intense scrutiny and criticism of such a person is termed as "cutting down the tall poppy".{{Cite web |last=Billan |first=Rumeet |date=31 December 2018 |title=The Tallest Poppy TM |url=https://www.womenofinfluence.ca/tps/ |access-date=30 March 2023 |website=Women of Influence}}

Etymology

The phrase "tall poppies" originates from Livy's account of the tyrannical Roman king Lucius Tarquinius Superbus. He is said to have received a messenger from his son Sextus Tarquinius asking what he should do next in Gabii, since he had become all-powerful there. Rather than answering the messenger verbally, Tarquin went into his garden, took a stick and swept it across his garden, thus cutting off the heads of the tallest poppies that were growing there. The messenger returned to Gabii and told Sextus what he had seen. Sextus realised that his father wished him to put to death all of the most eminent people of Gabii, which he then did.{{cite book |author=Livy |title=Ab urbe condita |at=I.54 |url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0026%3Abook%3D1%3Achapter%3D54}}

Earlier stories with the same theme are found in Aristotle's Politics{{cite book |author=Aristotle |title=Politics |at=III.1284a |url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0058%3Abook%3D3%3Asection%3D1284a |quote=The story is that Periander made no reply to the herald sent to ask his advice, but levelled the corn-field by plucking off the ears that stood out above the rest; and consequently, although the herald did not know the reason for what was going on, when he carried back news of what had occurred, Thrasybulus understood that he was to destroy the outstanding citizens. |translator=Harris Rackham}} (in which Periander, the tyrant of Corinth, makes the gesture to a herald of Thrasybulus, tyrant of Miletus) and in Herodotus' Histories{{cite book |author=Herodotus |title=Histories |at=V.92f |url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Hdt.+5.+92F&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0126 |quote=Thrasybulus led the man who had come from Periander outside the town, and entered into a sown field. As he walked through the corn, continually asking why the messenger had come to him from Corinth, he kept cutting off all the tallest ears of wheat which he could see, and throwing them away, until he had destroyed the best and richest part of the crop. Then, after passing through the place and speaking no word of counsel, he sent the herald away. |translator=A. D. Godley}} (in which Thrasybulus makes the gesture to Periander's herald). However, these Greek stories involve fields of grain; Livy's Roman tale is the first to feature poppies.

Australia and New Zealand

In Australia and New Zealand, "cutting down the tall poppy" is sometimes used by business entrepreneurs to describe those who deliberately criticise other people for their success and achievements.{{cite book |year=2007 |title=Culture and Leadership Across the World: The GLOBE Book of In-Depth Studies of 25 Societies |editor1-first=Jagdeep |editor1-last=Chhokar |editor2-first=Felix |editor2-last= Brodbeck |editor3-first=Robert |editor3-last=House |isbn=978-0-8058-5997-3 |page=399 |publisher=Psychology Press |location=United States |chapter=Leadership and Culture in New Zealand |author-first=Jeffrey |author-last= Kennedy}}{{Cite journal |last1=Holmes |first1=Janet |author-link=Janet Holmes (linguist) |last2=Marra |first2=Meredith |author-link2=Meredith Marra |last3=Lazzaro-Salazar |first3=Mariana |date=2017-03-28 |title=Negotiating the tall poppy syndrome in New Zealand workplaces: women leaders managing the challenge |url=https://journal.equinoxpub.com/GL/article/view/11354 |journal=Gender and Language |language=en |volume=11 |issue=1 |pages=1–29 |doi=10.1558/genl.31236 |issn=1747-633X}} It has been described as being the by-product of the Australian and New Zealand cultural value of egalitarianism.{{cite encyclopedia |first=Stephen |last=Levine |title=Political values - Political values and the 'Kiwi' way of life |url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/36619/tall-poppy-awards |encyclopedia=Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand |access-date=30 January 2023 |language=en |date=20 June 2012}}

In New Zealand, academic study concerning the prevalence of Tall Poppy Syndrome and its impact on the economy of New Zealand has become an area of increased focus.{{Cite report |title=Tall Poppy Syndrome in New Zealand |date=2022-07-20 |url=https://sway.cloud.microsoft/xxn8U2j2ZXXN8KaT |last=Kirkwood |first=Jo |last2=McNaughton |first2=Rod |publisher=University of Auckland |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240827230707/https://sway.cloud.microsoft/xxn8U2j2ZXXN8KaT |archive-date=2024-08-27}}{{Cite journal |title=Legitimizing entrepreneurial success in an environment of Tall Poppy syndrome: Lessons from celebrity entrepreneurs in New Zealand |journal=The International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation |last=Kirkwood |first=Jodyanne |date= |volume=21 |issue=2 |pages=101-112 |last2=Warren |first2=Lorraine |doi=10.1177/1465750319845483}} Interest in the effects of Tall Poppy Syndrome became reinvigorated in 2021 following the suicide of entrepreneur Jake Millar, who had received negative media coverage surrounding one of his start-up companies.{{Cite news |title=Young entrepreneur’s death sparks media backlash |last=Peacock |first=Colin |date=2021-12-12 |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/mediawatch/audio/2018823894/young-entrepreneur-s-death-sparks-media-backlash |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241210093801/https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/mediawatch/audio/2018823894/young-entrepreneur-s-death-sparks-media-backlash |archive-date=2024-12-10 |work=Radio New Zealand}} While research is limited, a handful of studies into the economic impact of Tall Poppy Syndrome conducted throughout the 2020s have shown a negative impact on entrepreneurship, risk-taking, and overall economic growth in New Zealand.{{Cite journal |title=Tall Poppy Syndrome: Implications for entrepreneurship in New Zealand |journal=Journal of Management & Organization |last=Kirkwood |first=Jodyanne |date=2007-11-01 |volume=13 |issue=4 |pages=366-382 |doi=10.5172/jmo.2007.13.4.366}}

In 2025, New Zealand, Auckland music producer collective hArtlife referenced "tall poppy syndrome" in their ANZAC day show "hArtlife presents: For all the Tall Poppies Cut Short"{{cite news |title=For all the tall poppies cut short |url=https://www.undertheradar.co.nz/gig/96021/hArtlife-presents-:-For-All-The-Tall-Poppies-Cut-Short.utr/ |access-date=April 25, 2025|publisher=Under the Radar |date=April 22, 2025}} on Karangahape Road at local venue Neck of the Woods.

In other countries

In Japan, a similar common expression is "the nail that sticks up gets hammered down" (出る杭は打たれる).{{Cite web|last=ことわざを知る辞典,デジタル大辞泉|title=出る杭は打たれるとは|url=https://kotobank.jp/word/%E5%87%BA%E3%82%8B%E6%9D%AD%E3%81%AF%E6%89%93%E3%81%9F%E3%82%8C%E3%82%8B-577183|access-date=12 February 2022|website=コトバンク|language=ja}}{{cite book |chapter-url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780199539536.001.0001/acref-9780199539536-e-1513 |isbn=978-0-19-953953-6 |title=The Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs |chapter=The nail that sticks up gets hammered down |year=2008 |publisher=Oxford University Press }}{{cite web |url=http://nihongo.monash.edu/cgi-bin/wwwjdic?1MDJ%BD%D0%A4%EB%C5%A3%A4%CF%C2%C7%A4%BF%A4%EC%A4%EB |title=WWWJDIC: Word Display |language=en}}

In the Netherlands, this expression is "don't put your head above ground level" ({{Lang|nl|boven het maaiveld uitsteken}}), with the cultural phenomenon being named maaiveldcultuur.{{citation needed|date=October 2023}}

In Chile, this expression is known as {{Lang|es|chaquetear}} ('pull the jacket').{{cite web |title=chaquetear |url=https://dle.rae.es/chaquetear |access-date=2022-08-21 |website=Diccionario de la lengua española |language=es}}

In Scandinavia, this expression is known as the Law of Jante, a phrase that originates from a 1933 satirical novel by Aksel Sandemose. It is a code that contains rules and stipulations such as "you're not to think you are anything special" and "perhaps you don't think we know a few things about you?".{{Cite journal |last1=Cappelen |first1=Cornelius |last2=Dahlberg |first2=Stefan |date=August 2017 |title=The Law of Jante and generalized trust |url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0001699317717319 |journal=Acta Sociologica |volume=61 |issue=4 |pages=419–440 |doi=10.1177/0001699317717319 |s2cid=149143718 |issn=0001-6993}}{{Cite book |last=Sandemose |first=Aksel |title=En flyktning krysser sitt spor |publisher=Aschehoug |year=1966 |language=no}}

In Canada, the term "tall poppy syndrome" is used in particular to refer to successful women being criticised for their success.{{cite news |title=Tall Poppy Syndrome is impacting corporations, and it's not just a women's issue |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/adv/article-tall-poppy-syndrome-is-impacting-corporations-and-its-not-just-a/ |access-date=September 29, 2024 |work=Globe and Mail |date=March 30, 2023}}{{cite news |last1=Wilson |first1=Jim |title=9 in 10 women experiencing 'Tall Poppy Syndrome' |url=https://www.hrreporter.com/focus-areas/diversity/9-in-10-women-experiencing-tall-poppy-syndrome/374079 |access-date=October 10, 2024 |work=Canadian HR Reporter |date=March 2, 2023}}{{cite news |title=Canada is hiking taxes and regulating business as the neighboring U.S. economy booms |url=https://fortune.com/2024/05/06/canada-tax-hike-regulation-trudeau-us-economy/ |access-date=October 10, 2024 |work=Fortune |date=May 6, 2004}}{{cite news |title=Majority of female leaders experience Tall Poppy Syndrome |url=https://dailynews.mcmaster.ca/articles/majority-of-female-leaders-experience-tall-poppy-syndrome/ |access-date=October 10, 2024 |work=Daily News |publisher=McMaster University |date=March 5, 2019}}

References

External links

[http://www.convictcreations.com/culture/poppy.htm Flogging the tall-poppy syndrome] ({{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100724132549/http://www.convictcreations.com/culture/poppy.htm |date=24 July 2010 }})

Category:Culture of Australia

Category:Culture of Canada

Category:Culture of New Zealand

Category:Lucius Tarquinius Superbus

Category:Political terminology

Category:Social status

Category:Sociological terminology