Jante-what?
Mar 1st, 2006 by Peter
Today I read an article (in Danish only) about “Janteloven”.
Janteloven (The law of Jante) is an unofficial Danish law that people live by without thinking about it. I don’t know how well-known this is outside Scandinavia, but here it is known to be somewhat of a burden for most Danes. The “Janteloven” (JL) has its origin from a novel written by Aksel Sandemose titled: “En flygtning krydser sit spor” from 1933 (English: A fugitive crosses his track).
To understand what this rant/entry is all about you need to know the JL.
Janteloven consist of the following 10 “commandments”:
Danish: Du skal ikke tro, du er noget.
English: Thou shalt not presume that thou art anyone.
Danish: Du skal ikke tro, at du er lige så meget som os.
English: Thou shalt not presume that thou art as good as us.
Danish: Du skal ikke tro, at du er klogere end os.
English: Thou shalt not presume that thou art any wiser than us.
Danish: Du skal ikke bilde dig ind, at du er bedre end os.
English: Thou shalt never indulge in the conceit of imagining that thou art better than us.
Danish: Du skal ikke tro, at du ved mere end os.
English: Thou shalt not presume that thou art more knowledgeable than us.
Danish: Du skal ikke tro, at du er mere end os.
English: Thou shalt not presume that thou art more than us.
Danish: Du skal ikke tro, at du duer til noget.
English: Thou shalt not presume that that thou art going to amount to anything.
Danish: Du skal ikke le ad os.
English: Thou art not entitled to laugh at us.
Danish: Du skal ikke tro, at nogen bryder sig om dig.
English: Thou shalt never imagine that anyone cares about thee.
Danish: Du skal ikke tro, at du kan lære os noget.
English: Thou shalt not suppose that thou can teach us anything.
You could roughly shrink the whole 10 commandments to the first one: “Thou shalt not presume that thou art anyone”. This covers about all of them in short.
What pissed me off about the article was it’s biased view. No positive sides was mentioned.
Denmark is a small country, and interacting with the wide world we have learned to keep this in the back of our minds. You could say that we live knowing that JL is always close. Whenever someone makes it big, or come off thinking to be more important than others they risk being met with comments like:
“I don’t like that smartass. Who is he fooling?”
“Yes, he may be good, but why does he has to tell everyone about it?”
“So you are a millionaire, we got it. Get of the media already, won’t ya?”
I guess you get the drift.
JL works in all levels. You can find it inside your own family or circle of friends. Whenever someone sticks out his/her nose, it will be punched instantly. Most Danes now hate Janteloven, but I for one love it and think things would be worse without it. Well actually it has both good and bad sides like all other laws.
In the last decades the opinion has been mostly against it, calling it “ugly”, “limiting” and “Danish society and culture at its worst”. Some even say that utilizing it is a sign of envy.
It is true that sometimes it is used to keep someone down who do not deserve it, but in my opinion this is rarely the case. Most of the time used, it really is justified. Since it now seems to be a valid explanation for being an idiot to refer to JL, the tendency is that more and more people let their ego take over. Some of these for example get in the media without any justifiable reason, and some just act foolish because no one stops them (still speaking in all levels). This law is mostly found whenever someone craves for public exposure or dare to state that he is the best at what he does.
20 years ago this person would instantly be he subject of public scolding. Yeah we heard and seen you, but we are fed up. Shut up, pleeeease?
When the subject is a celebrity or public figure the Danish media often takes its toll in this campaign. Some of these unjustified get their career endangered by slander or worse. This is the ugly face of Janteloven.
However, if you are successful yet still humble you will be very popular and well thought of instead. It seems all right to be confident in what you do, but don’t act too full of yourself. If you cross the line in the sand, you will instantly become scolded in public.
Until recently I really couldn’t pinpoint why, but I personally never liked when prominent or well-known Danes talk about how Janteloven is limiting how they can operate in different areas. They feel like they always have to thread lightly in everything they do, fearing grim retaliation if they come off too “big” or full of themselves.
I for one always felt like the JL is being wrongly used as a valid reason to cross the line. Whenever someone feels the subject of “hate” they just have to say “Jantelov” to silence their critics and then a backup is instantly arriving (no doubt from other smartasses with hurt feelings too). Many a time you would hear that certain someone go public complaining that JL is only “activated” because Denmark is such a small and narrow-minded country. So they state that if this had happened in another part of the world he would have been hailed by the public as brave or self-confident. I even heard people state that they left Denmark because of Janteloven. My bet is that most of these peoples the real reason is starting over where your reputation is not known. This is why they feel “liberated” and welcome in other countries.
I always had hard time explaining why I actually like Janteloven (to a certain degree) without sounding envious in the end. This really is not the case. I just don’t like annoying smartasses that I have no power to keep out of my view :-)
Just recently I finally read an interesting article in the local newspaper Søndagsavisen which put words to this feeling. There was an interview with Hans Flemming Kragh who is a retired school teacher:
QUOTES FROM THE INTERVIEW:
Interviewer:
So you feel that Janteloven is not that bad after all?
Hans Flemming Kragh:
» I think it is an insult and treason to humbleness to use Janteloven as excuse. It is nothing but whine from those who feel they are not properly recognized. Today all bad times are excused by Janteloven. «
Interviewer:
So Janteloven is really an excuse for placing your responsibilities on someone else?
Hans Flemming Kragh:
» Very much so. It is what it is used for. Telling yourself it is other peoples fault that you have not become “somebody” yourself. “If I’m not successful, other people are to blame”. So, hell yes! It is used as excuse to place responsibilities on someone else. «
I couldn’t agree more myself.
I know I may not be popular for my opinion since most Danes tend to dislike Janteloven, but really, I don’t care.
I think JL have been exploited for far too long by idiots who are smartasses for no other reason than selfishness. They call critics narrow-minded and old-fashioned in their way of thinking, just to get an excuse to act like idiots on others behalf. Often I have experienced someone growing to big for his own head, only to get the word “Jantelov” thrown in a critics face. Thus letting the moron get away with whatever he was doing. Praise the individual no matter how stupid they act, and no matter how many people they hurt. Well, not if it was up to me.
Don’t get me wrong. I think encouragement is important when it is needed, but please don’t encourage someone to do stand-up comedy in public, when they have NO talent what so ever and never will have. I am not talking about hopeful beginners needing the push to get going.
I think American Idol is a perfect example to many of these no-Jantelov fates (Billy Bob; please go thank your stupid mother for lying to you about your “beautiful” singing voice, only to find out that you suck extremely and break down in public television). I normally have big respect for people that takes a chance or have special qualities. As long as they are not show-offs and have a humble appearance to what they do.
One more example; Here in Denmark the music industry pumps out crap by the hour. Since computers took over the instrumental part, it seems that everyone’s a musician. Every day you can hear some “wannabe” rapping more or less successful to the standard beat. You don’t need any singing talent. You don’t even need to make the lyrics rhyme anymore, leaving only one “talent” desired: speaking fast to the beat (which is not even a criteria anymore from what I experience). I don’t mind rap music, but it pisses me off hearing someone with absolutely NO talent making big bucks and getting adoring looks by mumbling into a microphone. Had the Jantelov not been neglected, these guys would never have touched the microphone, but only sent to get the coffee for “real” musicians. You may not sing well, but HEY! you’re probably good at something else, right?
I think it is ok if he/she gets a chance to prove their worth, but damn it, accept if you suck and get on with life. Why do we have to listen to this sort of crap because Janteloven/criticism recently has become dirty words?
Ok, I know I come off harsh and yes, I know that in the end the public decides what is good and what is bad regarding music. I know that musical taste can not be argued. I know, I know, I know all these exceptions, but still it is examples making my point. You experience this tendency of badmouthing the Jantelov because no one dares to stop it. It’s a bad development in my opinion. We need this law. We need laws in general.
I believe it is very comparable to raising children. If you allow them to get away with everything, you will pay later. It is important to set boundaries and teach children that all acts have consequences and that you must respect other peoples “room” as well. This way they will learn how to think for themselves. Even more important learn how to think for themselves about others too. How you are perceived by others. Being an annoyance to others is painful too ;-)
It is the same situation with adults. We need law and guidance all our lives as well. We are human, and make mistakes. In my opinion JL helps keep the worst idiots in check.
Here in Denmark we call it Janteloven, but I am sure other countries have the same unspoken law.
For one, I.
HATE people that overcrowds the media without having anything to show for.
HATE people that just want to be popular for the sake of celebrity status.
HATE selfishness and people that don’t mind who they hurt, as long as they get what they want.
HATE idolizing and blind faith in celebrity.
HATE people who think they are worth more than others.
That doesn’t mean that I can’t enjoy whenever someone makes it big or achieves great things. For example, I have great respect for very good footballers, but if I find them too full of themselves, I instantly dislike them instead. If only they keep cool and don’t act all “hey look at me, I’m famous” and keep a bit of humbleness in what you do, they earn my respect. I think Diego Maradonna is an excellent example of a pompous smartass. He had a great gift for football, but his ego destroyed his reputation. Still he is remembered as one of the worlds best footballers and may have been the best, but he is not well-liked anymore as Pelé for example.
I like nothing better than hearing a friend or relative having a good experience or getting promoted, but I also reserve the right to exercise Janteloven if that certain someone gets a big head. You may call me bitter, grumpy or old-fashioned, but I still believe we can’t live without Janteloven or a similar unofficial law.
I wish the Janteloven could be re-written to being something like this:
Danish: Du skal tro du er noget værd, men vær ydmyg.
English: You should think that you are important, but stay humble.
In short: I like the basics in Janteloven, and I am not blind to its negative sides either. Still I get mad when I read someone displaying it as bad only. We need it, but maybe it needs an upgrade to fit the year 2006? I don’t know.
Links:
This article about Janteloven is what initially pissed me enough off to write this entry (Danish only)
[…] The big question is if the sales figures are a pointer for talent, or did they just lower the bar? Jantelov, please do your thing….soon! […]