Jante Law
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Jante Law (Danish and Norwegian: Janteloven; Swedish: Jantelagen; Finnish: Janten laki; Faroese: Jantulógin) is a concept created by the Norwegian/Danish author Aksel Sandemose in his novel A refugee crosses his tracks (En flygtning krydser sit spor, 1933), where he portrays the small Danish town Jante, modelled upon his native town Nykøbing Mors as it was in the beginning of the 20th century, but typical of all very small towns, where nobody is anonymous.
Contents |
[edit] Definition
There are ten different rules in the law, but they are all variations on a single theme and are usually referred to as a homogeneous unit: Don't think you're anyone special or that you're better than us.
The ten rules are:
- Don't think that you are special.
- Don't think that you are of the same standing as us.
- Don't think that you are smarter than us.
- Don't fancy yourself as being better than us.
- Don't think that you know more than us.
- Don't think that you are more important than us.
- Don't think that you are good at anything.
- Don't laugh at us.
- Don't think that anyone cares about you.
- Don't think that you can teach us anything.
In the book, those Janters who transgress this unwritten 'law' are regarded with suspicion and some hostility, as it goes against communal desire in the town, which is to preserve social stability and uniformity.
[edit] Modern interpretation
The Jante law is descriptional to any society in the world, where modern thinking and new ideas are frowned upon. It is a sarcastic poem that emphasises the stupidity of negativity, and should in no way be interpreted word by word. The focus of the poem is to stimulate thought about: "Why do people think it's so negative for someone else to try new ways?" and to help people realise it's okay to be special, it's okay to be happy and proud, and it's okay to do thread new paths.
Very often used to teach children about not mocking each other because they are different.
[edit] Other interpretation (debated)
The Jante Law has become symbolic of what many see as a permeating cultural code in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and other Nordic countries: it is frowned upon to appear to elevate oneself or claim to be better or smarter than others. Those who assert to the influence of the Jante Law often maintain that the values of the Danish and other Nordic welfare states can be credited to the persistence of the Jante Law, in particular their stress on social equality and their emphasis on fairness for all.
Others point to such traits as protestant work ethic and an early development of a modern central government in the Nordic states. The Jante Law is a product of the agrarian society that existed in Scandinavia until the beginning of the 20th century, where adherence to social norms was necessary to maintain cohesion and stability in the small villages. Due to a fairly recent industrialization compared to many other countries, as well as a general sparse population, Scandinavia has maintained many social aspects of this society, even while being amongst the most modernised regions in the world.
This kind of communal order has been observed in many areas of the world. It has echoes in the attitude towards others in some areas of England, exemplified in sayings such as "Just who does he think he is?". The "tall poppy syndrome" – cutting off the heads of the tallest poppies – is another expression of the idea, and is a prominent phenomenon in Australia and New Zealand. The Jante Law should also be seen in the light of the "smallness" of the individual Nordic nations, which forms an important part of their self-image. See also Japanese proverbs for a comparable saying.
Jante Law can be also seen as the mirror image, and perhaps more pessimistic side of lagomhet. While the Swedish lagom, (Finnish passeli, Norwegian passe, Danish passende) is often translated as "adequate" or "mediocre", there is actually more than that. Being lagom as a person means being one of us; it means being qualified in the team and being just as good as everyone else. The Nordic welfare state expects teamwork and team playing of everyone, "blowing on the same coal". If someone attempts to raise himself above the team or to play solo, he is often frowned upon as a team-breaker. The Jante Law can be interpreted as a reaction on team-breaking and breaking lagomhet. Many regard lagom as a positive thing, as it stresses satisfaction through slight moderation and rationality, though not all hold this view.
[edit] Current thinking
The topic is quite controversial in Scandinavia and there is some discussion regarding its purported permeation of the modern Scandinavian character. Many view its influence as quite overstated, as modern Scandinavian society has distanced itself from the rural communities where such views are easily maintained and now mainly comprises urban communities where its influence is less. However its presence is still strong in many areas, and possibly stronger in the larger Nordic countries than in Denmark. In Sweden it connects to the historical concept of "bruksmentalitet", a strong conformity in the many small, isolated manufacturing towns. In recent decades there has been a shift toward more individuality in Scandinavia, partly due to outside influence but also to a more urban lifestyle. However, extreme cases of elitism (ie. government scandals, narcissistic celebrities, flagrant displays of wealth) are still often met with strong criticism, but not as strong as in the past.
[edit] See also
- Lagom
- Tall poppy syndrome
- Danish culture
- Finnish culture
- Norwegian culture
- Swedish culture
- Social Model
