Build ‘Em Up: Knock ‘Em Down

There’s a terrible affliction taking over the world. It’s running rampant with no cure, very little awareness and no indication of dieing out. It does not discriminate against age, race, religion. It does not see colour. It does not see gender. It has been spreading throughout the entire world for hundreds of years, infecting and inflicting itself upon us all, the strain becoming stronger and stronger with time and changing world trends. Now, in 2009 it seems to have reached a new high. What is this terrible affliction you ask. It goes by many names in as many different dialects, but it’s most common name is Tall Poppy Syndrome.

We’ve seen this disease at work famously many times in history. Usually surrounding sudden and great success, and in varying degrees. And who do we have to blame for this terrible disease? I hear many people trying to pass the blame on to others, to the media, tabloids, paparazzi, the individual. But the truth lies within ourselves. People have deeply buried instinct to ‘squash’ anyone or anything that threatens us. Whether that threat is physical or merely perceived that instinct within us to eliminate that threat kicks in and often results in Tall Poppy Syndrome.

Need an example?

The Beatles. Now recognised as one of the greatest bands in music history and as pioneers in the rock genre, but at the height of their fame the Beatles were called hacks, blasphemous, disgusting, untalented, and every other name under the sun. Why? Jealousy, fear… all the common emotions that trigger that base instinct I mentioned. Their talent, their music got them a record deal and legions of fans. Fans gave them their success and their success provided nay-sayers. Which all lead to what we now term Tall Poppy Syndrome.

We as a society build people up, we raise them up onto a pedestal, we offer them success, fame, fortune, adoration. But then when they reach a height some deem unacceptable the syndrome kicks in.

What does the syndrome do you ask?

It starts with the nay-sayers. The people who say things like “They’re not talented.” “They’re not attractive” “They’re not real musicians” “They’re blasphemous” and so on. That is the first stage. The second stage is rumours. Rumours start, usually regarding bad acts or immoral behaviour, drugs, alcohol, addiction, even theft and assault. And suddenly the public that loved them so much are starting to question it. They’re starting to wonder if the person/people they’ve placed on such a high pedestal and deemed worthy of the adoration were worth it.