Tall Poppy Syndrome

The desire to want successful people to fail or the tendency to disrespect famous people is referred to as the tall poppy syndrome.
The poppy that sticks up higher than the rest gets cut down.

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Expression: Tall Poppy Syndrome

The tall poppy syndrome, which is used in Australia and New Zealand, refers to the tendency of people to discredit or show disrespect for wealthy or successful people.


The meaning is similar to the Japanese expression: the nail that sticks up gets hammered down.

In our Western culture, we put a lot of value on being wealthy and successful.

I would probably be safe saying that most people would like to be well-known, wealthy and successful.

The incredible number of YouTubers will support my thoughts here.

The problem is that while many people want to be successful, other people also dislike successful people.

These people enjoy watching successful, wealthy or famous people make mistakes and fall into difficulties.

This desire to want successful people to fail or the tendency to disrespect famous people is referred to as the tall poppy syndrome: the poppy that grows higher than the others gets cut down.


Flesch-Kincaid Readability Test

This post is understandable by someone with at least a 9th-grade education (age 15).  

On the Flesch-Kincaid reading-ease test, this post scores 59.  

The easier a passage is to read, the higher the score on a scale of 0 – 100. 



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