Kukkoilijat kuriin -syndroomasta
On Tall Poppies
Viime viikonvaihteen horoskooppini (The Sydney Morning Heraldin viikkoliite Good Weekend):
Leo Jul 24-Aug23
If you're sick and tired of no one paying you enough attention, consider starting your own blog. An online presence brimming with your unforgettable wit and wisdom is sure to be an instant hit and deliver the limelight you so desperately crave. It will also free up your friends and colleagues to get on with their own lives.
Enpä olisi tuota osannut osuvammin itsekään muotoilla. Hieno ironian taju.
Australianenglannissa on kuvaava termi kateellisen latistavalle asenteelle. Sitä en tiennyt, että Tall Poppy -syndroomalla on antiikin Roomaan asti ulottuvat juuret. Taitaapa muutama, sitkeä lonkero ulottua sinne Suomeenkin saakka.
Ja tämä onkin oiva yhteys mainostaa ehdottoman itsenäistä, pientä ja energistä australialaista Tall Poppies -levy-yhtiötä, joka pitää hienosti esillä australialaista musiikkia ja muusikoita..
(Kuva: Ned Kelly -nimisen Grevillean kukka, todellisuudessa peukalon mittainen. Maantierosvo-kansallissankarin mukaan nimetty tietenkin.)
***
My horoscope from last weekend's Good Weekend magazine:
Leo Jul 24-Aug23
If you're sick and tired of no one paying you enough attention, consider starting your own blog. An online presence brimming with your unforgettable wit and wisdom is sure to be an instant hit and deliver the limelight you so desperately crave. It will also free up your friends and colleagues to get on with their own lives.
What a wonderful sense of irony. Do I sense a hint of the true Australian Tall Poppy syndrome here? (I didn't know that the history of the expression goes all the way back to ancient Rome, did you?)
This is a good opportunity to advertise the fantastic, independent Tall Poppies record label that specialises in Australian music and musicians.
(Pictured: my Grevillea "Ned Kelly" in bloom, named after the famous bushranger of course.)
Comments - Kommentit
Anni, I didn't know the origins of the Tall Poppy syndrome. In one small town where I once lived I think I detected a variation of the TPS. People would guard their patch. So if they held a certain position or a certain status in society they would be on guard against anyone who might look like competition. There was also a propensity for people to invent snide nicknames for people behind their backs in a manner I hadn't seen before. It seemed to me like a small garden bed which had been liberally sprinkled with seed. When germination came there were lots of plants - far too many for the small garden bed. So the plants in the bed jostled one another for elbow room to grow tall and get to the sunlight.
Posted by: Miss Eagle | May 16, 2006 10:48 AM
Hi Anni
I was not aware of the ancient lineage of this term, either. The Wikipedia example (Dick Smith) of someone who has avoided the animosity of the TPS is contentious. However, I have alovely counter-example, from Japan, of a Chrysanthemum grower who had a wonderful field of beautiful flowers. The Emperor's staff inspected the field, and told the proud owner they would bring the Emperor back the next day.
That afternoon, the Chrysanthemum grower slashed the entire field, except for one flower. The next morning the Emperor arrived, and his minders were outraged at this (supposed) affront to the Emperor and we about to behead the farmer. Then, someone asked him why did you do this? He replied that the Emperor should only see perfection.
Needless, to say, it was the perfect answer, and he was spared.
As a plantsman, I can appreciate this story, and as an ols Public Servant, I love the politics of the situation, too.
Long live the genuine Tall Poppies, but not those whose claim is by virtue of popular acclaim to the Lowest Common Denominator (e.g., Big Brother, Logies awards, Prime Ministership, etc).
Cheers
Denis
Posted by: Denis | May 16, 2006 01:43 PM
As an old public servant, you would think I could spell-check better than that!
Denis
Posted by: Denis | May 16, 2006 01:47 PM
Miss Eagle and Denis, I like your creative approach to the TPS. And of course I had to read Denis's comment again very carefully before I detected even one spelling mistake.
Posted by: Anni | May 17, 2006 01:47 PM