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The Law of Jante (Janteloven)


Wednesday, September 16, 2009

You shall not think that you are special

You shall not think that you are of the same standing as us

You shall not think that you are wiser than us

Don’t fancy yourself as being better than us

You shall not think that you know more than us

You shall not think that you are more (important) than us

You shall not think that you are good at anything

You shall not laugh at us

You shall not think that anyone cares about you

You shall not think that you can teach us anything

This concept was created by the Danish author Aksel Sandemose, in a novel from 1933. In this novel he is describing the mentality of the Danish people as he observes it, and the core of this mentality is described in the law of Jante. There are Ten Commandments which makes a reference to the authority of the Ten Commandments of the bible. “The Law of Jante” is part of the ironical self-concept of the Danish people and is an expression for the collective pressure on, and limitation of the individual. In spite of the fact that “The Law of Jant” has become a big part of the Danish mentality, culture and folklore, most Danish people hate this concept.

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