Why is Tall Poppy Syndrome so prevalent in the UK?
Tall Poppy Syndrome: people wanting to “cut down” a person who stands out as a high achiever. The term references the image of a poppy that grows taller than the rest of the flowers in a field or garden.
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/tall-poppy-syndrome#:~:text=People%20may%20devalue%2C%20criticize%2C%20attack,in%20a%20field%20or%20garden
It is everywhere. From school to universities to workplaces.
There's another term for this, crabs in a bucket! They don't want you to get out and do well!
I wrote a long response and it disappeared- main point - it can be a variety of reasons and motivations: nothing to do with class, it is more about jealousy, insecurity, sexism, racism, narcissism, small-mindedness, scarcity mindset… essentially they have small everything
I learnt a new term today!
Not sure why this happens but having worked in the UK and the US they are opposite ends of the spectrum with regards to celebrating success
Centuries of classism. How else do the elites keep the commoners down?
SM1: It’s both.
Enthusiast
This is an incredibly cultural/British thing. This isn’t really a thing in North America where high achievers are rewarded and applauded
Applauded so much they get assassinated in cold blood on the streets of NYC. No, American’s are just extremely good at feigning congratulatory culture.
Chief
I haven’t come across this in consulting. I am familiar with the concept but one of the things I like about consulting is that people typically are ambitious and have a shared goal to do well and therefore do not react weirdly when someone else does well.
At clients I have seen this more. Where ‘time servers’ lose out on a promo to someone who works harder and is better. They get very bitter about that.
Read the question again. The inherent point is to compare UK's 'syndrome' to other economies and US seems to be the most common reference point as pointed out by many.
Conversation Starter
And the more regulated your firm is the less open they are
I feel its less to do with culturalism and history, and more to do with lower ambitions and a perceived glass ceiling that's lower than in US. People feel they can't achieve 'success' so they will get in the way of anyone who is trying for it or seeming to be going there.
To (probably) misquote Wolf Hall, ‘It’s not the English. It’s people’.
I don't recognise this behaviour. There are high achievers everywhere in the UK who get lots of appreciation. Perhaps by considering yourself a "tall poppy" you are coming across as arrogant.
Also, the weather
Cultural cynicism, also because so often ‘high achievers’ haven’t earned status or position through merit alone and have ridden other privilege factors.
I like to call it “crabs in a bucket”, and its prevalent. Especially when you tell people you left the UK