Pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall. Proverbs 16:18
Medicine acknowledges “classic cases” – a totality of signs and symptoms in an entity. One of the many problems in making a correct diagnosis is that few entities present themselves with all the classic features and the clinician establishes a presumptive diagnosis without confirmation. By understanding the classic case or model, application of the principles may be applied to similar situations.
In the Tall Poppy Syndrome (TPS), I have created two common classic cases (see Anatomy of the Tall Poppy Syndrome): in one instance the cutter is faulty while the TP is flawed in the other. The former involves a cutter with low self-esteem who is envious of a Tall Poppy (TP). Instead of emulating the TP (good envy), the cutter defames the TP by various methods (bad envy) [see Jesus Is Twice a Victim of the Tall Poppy Syndrome].
From The Tall Poppy Syndrome – The Joy of Cutting Others Down:
Although envy is normally considered undesirable, Aristotle distinguished a different type: emulation motivated people to improve themselves versus being motivated to take away things. Psychologists today have divided envy into various types but mostly to signify good and bad envy, or benign and malicious (also called malignant).
Good envy leads a person to admire others’ good qualities and seek to be like them. Malicious envy is not wanting people to possess what they have and desiring to cut them down (TPS) so the envier looks better by comparison. The point is to denigrate the person.
The other classic case concerns a TP with egregious traits or actions, most commonly pride (see Succession and the Tall Poppy Syndrome). In this situation, a true TP has done something egregious (often pride-based) and the public feels justified in cutting them down.
By understanding these classic cases, one may insert other negative emotions into a cutter or egregious emotions and traits into a TP and watch TPS unfold.
A feud is a prolonged and bitter conflict or quarrel between two parties, often characterized by ongoing hostility, resentment, and sometimes violence. The feud is used more loosely to describe any long-standing disagreement or rivalry between individuals, groups, or institutions. These include family, political, business, regional, cultural, and sports.
Dueling, a subset of the feud, is a classic situation that encompasses TPS – the situation calls for cutting down to win. I observed it early in our country (The Tall Poppy Syndrome – The Joy of Cutting Others Down)
In November 1620, Ed Doty and Ed Lester, indentured servants of Stephen Hopkins, arrived in Plymouth Colony while it was being built. Doty was a cantankerous coot and quick to temper. The following June, the two argued. This first duel in New England was with sword and dagger. One man received a hand wound, the other a thigh wound. Their real punishment was being tied with head and feet together for twenty-four hours without meat or drink. But their master took pity on them and convinced the governor to release them early.
Burr – Hamilton Duel. Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr were prominent political figures in early American history whose long-standing rivalry culminated in a fatal duel on July 11, 1804.
Alexander Hamilton was a Founding Father, the first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, and a leader of the Federalist Party. Aaron Burr was the third Vice President of the United States and a leader in the Democratic-Republican Party.
Their rivalry began in 1791 when Burr defeated Hamilton’s father-in-law for a U.S. Senate seat. Over the next 15 years, their political and personal animosity grew. The seeds were planted in the 1800 presidential election when Hamilton’s influence helped Thomas Jefferson defeat Burr in a tie-breaking House vote. Hamilton’s efforts thwarted Burr’s political ambitions by blocking his bid for the New York governorship in 1804.
The immediate cause of the duel was a letter published in a newspaper where Hamilton was reported to have made disparaging remarks about Burr’s character. Burr demanded an apology or explanation, which Hamilton refused to provide. On July 11, 1804, they met in Weehawken, New Jersey, for the duel. The exact sequence of events is still debated, but the outcome was clear: Burr shot Hamilton, inflicting a mortal wound (TPS).
Hamilton died the following day, July 12, 1804. The Federalist Party, founded by Hamilton, was permanently weakened. Burr’s political career was effectively ended, and he was vilified for killing Hamilton (an egregious act tall poppying himself).
Biden – Trump Presidential Debate (feud – duel – rivalry) on June 27, 2024. This rivalry began in the Obama-Biden Administration (2009 – 2017). Trump became president and rescinded many of their policies. Biden’s presidency followed and he repealed many of Trump’s policies. Biden fears a new Trump presidency will result in the reversal of his policies.
This political feud was an accident waiting to happen. There is bad blood between the two men. Worse yet, both men are similar – given to hyperbole and lying, hubris and hints of lustfulness and greed – the latter three forming the “unhappy tirade” of egregious TP behavior justifying TPS (see Anatomy of the TALL POPPY SYNDROME).
How are they going to differentiate themselves from one another? The simplest, most common, and greatest greased method is to cut each other down.
It was Biden’s hubris that has caused his fall. Re-election was his if there were no missteps. He had a winning formula from his last election: hunker-bunker down and let the Democratic machine and media do the campaigning.
Trump sucker-punched Joe into a debate (duel). Biden did not have to challenge Trump but did. His team stacked the deck with friendly networks and hosts. Trump pounced.
“Well, make my day, pal. I’ll even do it twice.” Biden’s words will live in infamy. His ego, hubris, and poor self-awareness spoke of his glutted gaudiness.
The debate was an eye-opener for many. Neither provided a positive path forward. Most of the time was spent on hyperbole, lying, and cutting each other down. Its climax was squabbling about golf and handicaps.
The further a society drifts from truth the more it will hate those that speak it. George Orwell
Tall Poppy Carl Sagan’s Pale Blue Dot is an inspirational antidote to the debate and an incitement we should demand from our leaders:
Biden’s pride put him in the debate and it lived up to its moniker as one of the Seven Deadly Sins. The debate placed his mental disposition on full display. The debate and its aftermath may cost Biden the election and his legacy. There will be schadenfreude on the other side of the aisle.
It’s better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than open it and remove all doubt. Mark Twain
