The Syndrome: A system of thinking that says, “If I can’t rise, no one can rise.” Figuratively, it is the cutting down of the tall poppy who rises above the others, so every poppy is the same height. The pulling down of everyone who tries to rise is justified with prideful projections like, “Does he think he is better than us?” Us being the greater collective who cannot stomach someone else’s success or achievement in light of their own lack. It is the breeding ground of lazy complacency and insecurity. From it springs a poisonous contempt for those who are not similarly lazy or in the same state of lack. Tall Poppy Syndrome sits inside the much larger Victim Mentality.
The syndrome masks the hopeless and jealous inclinations of a person with a self-righteous indignation, a type of pride. When a person trapped in this mindset sees a free person, instead of asking, “How can I be free?” they say, “If I am in chains, they should be in chains too.” It is a penal-colony mindset and was sown as the spiritual seed as this nation was birthed. It must be recognized and repented of for people to get free of it.
The Syndrome with a Covid twist: “If I am in lockdown, everyone should be in lock down.” “If I am jabbed, everyone should be jabbed.” “If I am following arbitrary rules, everyone should follow arbitrary rules.” If I have to sacrifice, everyone needs to make the same sacrifice.” In all these comments we can hear the self-righteous indignation. It appeals to a person’s pride. It stops people from critical and logical thinking. People instead judge from a place of felt-need or felt-pain; emotionalism. This is what allows the righteous indignation to takeover: mad, jealous outrage rules the day.
Currently, not a small number of people are offended by Novak Djokovic, a world class athlete from Serbia who DID follow the necessary protocols to compete in the Australian Open tennis championships. But of course, the totalitarians keep lying and changing their protocols to suit their totalitarian-fancies. They saw Djokovic as their next political-theater opportunity and locked him up. What did the wealthy athlete do? He used his means to fight the totalitarians; as he should, this is what a champion does.
But this flies in the face of Tall Poppy Syndrome and regardless of any protocols followed or broken, regardless of what is right or even just in this situation–never ones to miss their opportunity–the Australian media kicked into high gear with their outrage propaganda. They goaded all those who are blind to their tricks into being outrageously mad and offended by Djokovic. The media are very good at stirring up the outrage mob. They are very good at infecting people’s minds with a poisonous resentment. All this works to spike people’s adrenaline and cortisol, the fight/flight/defend hormones. The media are so good at their propaganda that many do not realize it is the media who has enticed them to defend the carefully curated faux-political stunt. But it is deeper…
By tricking people into hating Djokovic and defending the political stunt, they have tricked people into further acceptance and even defense of Australia’s creeping totalitarianism.
So this week’s trending outrage: “Wealthy, privileged athlete won’t get a jab. If he doesn’t like our country and our rules, send him back to Serbia!” This sentiment only exposes Aussie pride as mere gutless, cowardly Tall Poppy Syndrome and reveals the success of their sophisticated propaganda machine.
