Denmark was just ranked as the happiest society in the world and there are lots of opinions why -- some of the opinions are very critical of Danish culture, others applaud their expansive safety-net social system that removes many of the day to day worries of life. Some people, though, think that happiness here is "enforced" by an invisible set of laws that keep everyone at the same level, removing the disparity between facets of society.
In 1933, a man name Aksel Sandemose wrote a book called En flyktning krysser sitt spor, or "A Refuge Crosses His Tracks." The book portrays a fictional small town in Denmark -- a town where everybody knows your name (Norm!) Admittedly, I haven't read the book but I'll get to it. In the book, the town is named Jante and the town has a set of unwritten laws:
The Jante LawThese laws are referenced frequently in discussions of Scandinavian (not just Danish) culture. Every book we have on Denmark at least discusses the concepts. Often they are summed up into a single statement,
1. Thou shalt not presume that thou art anyone important.
2. Thou shalt not presume that thou art as good as us.
3. Thou shalt not presume that thou art any wiser than us.
4. Thou shalt never indulge in the conceit of imagining that thou art
better than us.
5. Thou shalt not presume that thou art more knowledgeable than us.
6. Thou shalt not presume that thou art more than us in any way.
7. Thou shalt not presume that that thou art going to amount to
anything.
8. Thou art not entitled to laugh at us.
9. Thou shalt never imagine that anyone cares about thee.
10. Thou shalt not suppose that thou can teach us anything.
"Don't think you are special or that you are better than us."
In the book, violating the Jante law led to increased hostility from those around you and started you down the path to becoming an outcast.
Many believe that Jante's Laws are a real part of society here. For Americans, this is a problem. We believe in "a better life" as motivation for what we do. To be rewarded at work or at school for a "job well done" is a good thing, to get a raise, to finally get that new car you've wanted. It is common to be singled out with "employee of the month", to celebrate success with your family and friends. Our entire adventure overseas could be seen as a severe transgression of Jante's Laws: We've left our society behind and we tell stories about our experiences abroad -- and simply having this opportunity displays a level of success and accomplishment that is hard to keep concealed. We believe that we worked hard and paid a price to get here -- but have we hurt our society by doing so?
The problem many see with Jante's Laws is that they are written in an expressly negative way but have the good intention of promoting equality and fairness. I have seen re-writes of the laws, changing all of the negatives to positives and switching the focus from an outward criticism to a personal mantra. These revised laws come across as much less harsh. There is a good example in the comments here. Here, one line of anti-Jante:
Many believe that Jante's Laws are a real part of society here. For Americans, this is a problem. We believe in "a better life" as motivation for what we do. To be rewarded at work or at school for a "job well done" is a good thing, to get a raise, to finally get that new car you've wanted. It is common to be singled out with "employee of the month", to celebrate success with your family and friends. Our entire adventure overseas could be seen as a severe transgression of Jante's Laws: We've left our society behind and we tell stories about our experiences abroad -- and simply having this opportunity displays a level of success and accomplishment that is hard to keep concealed. We believe that we worked hard and paid a price to get here -- but have we hurt our society by doing so?
The problem many see with Jante's Laws is that they are written in an expressly negative way but have the good intention of promoting equality and fairness. I have seen re-writes of the laws, changing all of the negatives to positives and switching the focus from an outward criticism to a personal mantra. These revised laws come across as much less harsh. There is a good example in the comments here. Here, one line of anti-Jante:
"I am as good as those around me."
Now, that is a bit easier to swallow. It's like Al Franken as Stuart Smalley, "I'm Good Enough, I'm Smart Enough, and Doggone It, People Like Me!"
Skål!
Skål!
Ice Cube said it best:
ReplyDeleteSounds to me like you got a little haterism in your game.