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RE: A Little Cultural Comparison
The expression "tall poppy syndrome" is more to do with staying humble, as @mattclarke suggested below.
"Don't be fooled by the rocks that I got
I'm still, I'm still Jenny from the block
Used to have a little, now I have a lot
No matter where I go, I know where I came from (from the Bronx!)"
We have an expression:
"Pull your head in" and the mental image is one of a turtle doing just that. We don't have a problem with people being successful, just don't showboat about it. Or look down your nose at other people on your way up.
The biggest offender of this little rule was a tennis player by the name of Leyton Hewitt.
I have heard quite a bit about Australia's low power distance within organizational structures. So that is what I think of when you mention staying humble. Maybe expressed as keeping a level playing field. Am i understanding you right? Why do you think Australian culture has developed in this way as opposed to the high power distance in other western cultures?
There's a strong sense of fairness here that is culturally reinforced.
There's nothing that can't be talked over, over a beverage or two either.
It could be the fact that our voting is mandatory, and if we have to vote then the people we vote in better be good at what they do.
It could be the heat during the summer months, or it could be the influence of the indigenous Aborigines (everything is shared equally and for the good of all).
I hadn't heard the expression "low power distance" but a Google search
found a scale of countries here: http://www.clearlycultural.com/geert-hofstede-cultural-dimensions/power-distance-index/
We aren't too far below the USA in that scale.
We also are quite open about our hourly rate, whereas I find that people the USA think it's a bad idea to compare them. People at the same level should be paid the same amount, etc.
I can definitely see the voting system having quite an effect on what Australian's expect from their politicians and the sense of ownership that is held as a result. Even though I'm not allowed to vote yet, I find I am far more invested in political happenings here than I was in Canada where the average voting percentage is around 60%.
Thank you for that link. It lead me down a lovely rabbit trail of learning. I stumbled across this site in the process: http://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/WVSContents.jsp
It has a bit more thorough research (the above research was done entirely within one company and with group surveys) and reflects the changing aspect of values over time. There is such a large range world wide that I think some of the hardest differences to deal with are the ones that look like they should be small.