Modesty forbidden

A Craigie regular writes: “Older readers may cringe during TV quiz shows and the like, when a contestant enthusiastically applauds what they themselves have just done. But it wasn’t always like that. Up until about the 1960s, the victor simply stood modestly, perhaps acknowledging applause, but certainly not joining in.

“The change came with TV footage of the then Russian leader, Nikita Khrushchev, who would applaud himself at the end of his speech as wildly as any loyal party member. This was adversely commented on at the time, but the damage had been done, irreversibly.”