Law of Jante

The Law of Jante (Template:Langx {{#invoke:IPA|main}})<ref group="note">Norwegian Template:Langx {{#invoke:IPA|main}},Template:Fix Template:Langx; Template:Langx; Template:Langx; Template:Langx {{#invoke:IPA|main}}; Template:Langx {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.</ref> is a code of conduct<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> originating in fiction and now used colloquially to denote a social attitude of disapproval towards expressions of individuality and personal success.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Coined by the Danish-Norwegian author Aksel Sandemose, it has also come to represent the egalitarian nature of Scandinavian countries.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The "Law" was first formulated as ten rules in Sandemose's satirical novel A Fugitive Crosses His Tracks ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, 1933), but the attitudes themselves are older.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Sandemose portrays the fictional small Danish town of Jante, modelled upon his native town Nykøbing Mors in the 1930s where nobody was anonymous, a feature of life typical of small towns.<ref>Translator note, En flygtning krydser sit spor, 2nd ed.</ref>

Definition

There are ten rules in the law as defined by Sandemose, all expressive of variations on a single theme and usually referred to as a homogeneous unit: You are not to think you're anyone special, or that you're better than us.

The ten rules state:

You're not to think you are anything special.
You're not to think you are as good as we are.
You're not to think you are smarter than we are.
You're not to imagine yourself better than we are.
You're not to think you know more than we do.
You're not to think you are more important than we are.
You're not to think you are good at anything.
You're not to laugh at us.
You're not to think anyone cares about you.
You're not to think you can teach us anything.

The Janters who transgress this unwritten "law" are regarded with suspicion and some hostility, as it goes against the town's communal desire to preserve harmony, social stability and uniformity.

An eleventh rule recognized in the novel as "the penal code of Jante" is:

Perhaps you don't think we know a few things about you?

From the chapter "Maybe you don't think I know something about you":

That one sentence (the eleventh rule), which acts as the penal code of Jante, as such was rich in content. It was an accusation of absolutely anything, and that it also had to be, because absolutely nothing was allowed. It was also an elaborate indictment, with all kinds of unspecified penalties given to be expected. Furthermore it was useful, depending fully on tone of voice, in financial extortion and enticement into criminal acts, and it could also be the best means of defense.

Sandemose's novel described working-class life in the fictional town of Jante. He wrote in 1955, a bit mischievously, that "Many people have recognized [in Jante] their own hometown – this has happened regularly to people from Arendal [Norway], Tromsø [Norway] and Viborg [Denmark]".<ref>English translation of passage from foreword of the Norwegian edition (1999), p. 14.</ref> Sandemose made no claim to having invented the rules; he simply sought to formulate social norms that had stamped the Danish and Norwegian psyches for centuries.

Sociological effects

Although intended as criticism of society in general, some critics in the 1990s argued that the Law of Jante had shifted to refer to personal criticism of people who want to break out of their social groups and reach a higher position.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

It is common in Scandinavia to claim the Law of Jante as something quintessentially Danish, Norwegian or Swedish.<ref>Alexander Skarsgård Is Too Swedish To Be Cocky - YouTube The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Published on 2018-11-10</ref> The rules are treated as a way of behaving in order to fit in and results in dressing similarly and the types of cars that people buy and buying similar products for their homes.<ref name=bbc/> It is commonly stated that Jante Law is for people in the provinces, but commentators have suggested that metropolitan areas are also affected.<ref name="bbc" />

While the original intention was as satire, Kim Orlin Kantardjiev, a Norwegian politician<ref>Agenda Magasin online</ref> and educational advisor, claims that the Law of Jante is taught in schools as more of a social code to encourage group behavior, and attempts to credit it with fueling Nordic countries' high happiness scores.<ref name=bbc>BBC Ideas Forget hygge: The laws that really rule in Scandinavia</ref> It has also been suggested that contentedness with a humdrum lifestyle is a part of happiness in the Scandinavian countries.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

However, in Scandinavia, there have also been journalistic articles which link the Law of Jante to high suicide rates.<ref name="suicide">Klas Leffler Template:Webarchive in MittMedia Allehanda Västernorrland 2016-07-16</ref> Backlash has occurred against the rules, and in Norway someone even placed a grave for Jante Laws, declaring them dead in 2005. However, others have questioned whether they will ever go away, as they may be firmly entrenched in society.<ref name=bbc/>

Appearance in English-language sources

When interviewed during episode 646 of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, broadcast November 9, 2018, Swedish actor Alexander Skarsgård explained that although he had recently received an Emmy and a Golden Globe Award for a lauded performance, the inhibitions induced by the Law of Jante prevented him from boasting of the accolade.<ref>Alexander Skarsgård Is Too Swedish To Be Cocky - YouTube The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Published on 2018-11-10</ref>
In Wisting, a 2019 Norwegian police procedural television series, partially in English, the character Line says (translated), "The newspaper sales numbers and the Law of Jante are merging."<ref>Wisting (TV series), Season 1, Episode 6, 30:38+</ref>
In Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, Bourdain and René Redzepi discuss JantelovenTemplate:'s effect on Danish culture.<ref name="CNN_10/6/2013">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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In some interviews, Greta Thunberg credits and appreciates the law for her being ignored by Swedes that see her in public.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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This law is prominent in Swedish culture and the Swedish parliament sees it as potentially harmful, holding people back.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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At forty minutes into Stockholm Syndrome (an episode of the Netflix series "This is Pop"), Swedish record producers and songwriters tell how they are reluctant to talk about their success because of Jantelagen

Notes

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References

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Law of Jante

Contents

Definition

Sociological effects

Appearance in English-language sources

See also

Notes

References

Further reading

Navigation menu

Law of Jante

Definition

Sociological effects

Appearance in English-language sources

See also

Notes

References

Further reading

Navigation menu

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