g’day
for the last ~250 years tall poppies syndrome has served a critical purpose in australian society:
forced social cohesion for a tiny nation in a brutal environment.
the social contract was simple: if you win, win quietly, and bring everyone with you.
aussie humility was as much a binding agent as it was a defense against exploitation of the robber-barons that had been sweeping the western world.
but in 2025 that social contract is broken. structural inequalities between generations (in housing, income, education) are threatening this very fabric.
i say bring it on.
because the truth is: it’s no longer tall poppies that get cut down.
it’s the ones who never grow at all.
it’s now okay to be a try-hard. to be cringe. to go big. to win.
in fact, it’s mandatory: the only way to get ahead is to build something yourself in a world of huge house deposits, zero wage growth and private schooling.
the internet is an open radio channel for the resistance. you can build in public. find your people. create leverage.
you don’t need permission. you just need momentum.
so be seen. stick your head above the parapet.
no one’s coming to lift you up.
but no one can stop you, either.
charlie
new video just dropped, why buying a house is dumb compared to starting your own business
ps – last week I sprayed aussie film industry pretty hard, but the screen australia bureaucrats must have heard my call. deadbeat ends meet just dropped: an awesome short animation series with a sicko edge for our generation (think rick and morty or big les show) - check it out below
