Law of Jante: Difference between revisions
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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.{{Fact|date=August 2007}} |
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.{{Fact|date=August 2007}} |
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==Interpretation (debated)== |
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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.{{Fact|date=August 2007}} Those who assert to the influence of the Jante Law often maintain that the values of the Danish and other Nordic [[welfare state]]s can be credited to the persistence of the Jante Law, in particular their stress on [[social equality]] and their emphasis on fairness for all.{{Fact|date=August 2007}} |
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Others point to such traits as [[Protestant work ethic]] and an early development of a modern [[central government]] in the Nordic states.{{Fact|date=August 2007}} 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{{Fact|date=August 2007}} even while being among the most modernised regions in the world. |
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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]].{{Fact|date=August 2007}} 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. |
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Jante Law can be also seen as the mirror image, and perhaps more pessimistic side of ''[[lagom]]het''. 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.{{Fact|date=August 2007}} The Jante Law can be interpreted as a reaction on team-breaking and breaking ''lagomhet''.{{Fact|date=August 2007}} Many regard ''lagom'' as a positive thing, as it stresses satisfaction through slight moderation and rationality, though not all hold this view.{{Fact|date=August 2007}} |
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A smaller-scale similar topic is the practice of ''[[barato]]'' among gamblers in the [[Spanish Golden Century]]. |
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Winners were expected to share a portion of their prizes with onlookers. |
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Behind this there was a belief that [[luck]] comes from God and is an opportunity to show generosity. |
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There was also the threat of the onlookers (often armed criminals) if they did not get an easy profit. |
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==Current thinking== |
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The topic is quite controversial in Scandinavia and there is some discussion regarding its purported permeation of the modern Scandinavian character.{{Fact|date=August 2007}} 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 (i.e. government scandals, narcissistic celebrities, flagrant displays of wealth) are still often met with strong criticism, but not as strong as in the past. The income tax systems of the Nordic countries are designed in a way to promote (enforce) equality amongst its citizens, and this could be regarded as a contemporary expression of the Jante Law.{{Fact|date=August 2007}} |
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There is a modern interpretation of Janteloven which is called Jenteloven, which is geared toward girls and women (jente means girl in Norwegian). Jenteloven is actually the opposite of Jantelagen, stressing the importance of woman and their individuality, and arose due to the feminist movement. |
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== See also == |
== See also == |
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Revision as of 18:55, 3 August 2007
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.[citation needed]
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:[citation needed]
- 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.[citation needed]
See also
- Lagom
- Tall poppy syndrome
- Danish culture
- Finnish culture
- Norwegian culture
- Swedish culture
- Social Model