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Jante's Law: Anti-Ambition

04 Aug 2004 by Matthew Linderman

Jante’s Law is an unspoken code of ethics in Scandinavian-American culture.

Equality is an important part of Danish culture, so much so that, ‘success’ or what may be seen as a deliberate attempt to distinguish oneself from others may be viewed with hostility. This characteristic is called Janteloven or Jante’s Law by Danes.

Pretty interesting compared to the typical American view. Another explanation:

In our culture, there is an inherent antipathy toward such qualities as extravagance, luxury, glamour and self-glorification. The more a person is like all other people, the better. In fact, one of the finest compliments a Swede can receive is that he or she is so “ordinary” - regardless of whether this person happens to be the queen, a Nobel laureate or a rock star.

13 comments so far (Post a Comment)

04 Aug 2004 | Thomas Baekdal said...

Well, It is not as bad today as it used to be (BTW: I am from Denmark). But it is a pretty strange saying to live by - it urges you to be invisible and do nothing.

I have always done my best to ignore Jante's Law :)

04 Aug 2004 | Jeff said...

I find that trying to characterize entire groups of people is really just acknowledging stereotypes. In the end, you've really got nothing much better than a horoscope.... something vague and very generalized.

To say that Danes find it to be a compliment when told they are "normal" is really no different than the American colloquial "He's a regular Joe". We like normality as well. People like to be normal everywhere. And standing out from the crowd is always viewed as vain, attention-starved, validation-needy, etc. etc.

For me, the only way you can really talk about an entire group of people is possibly the kind of food they eat in general, or what the workplace is like. What do people do on their lunchbreaks?

But even here we could lose this argument. For instance, we could say that hard-working Americans like eat their lunch on the go, or at their desk while they're working. And that is a crazy concept for Europeans who enjoy going out and spending 1 hour in the sun at a cafe while sipping some beer or fine coffee. But the thing is, we have Americans here that do that as well. Like me. I refuse to eat at my desk, and about 30% of the folks in my office think like me.

The world is getting smaller and I'm finding that we humans have more in common with each other than we'd normally think. These "cultural differences" aren't so big anymore. Every nation is a hodgepodge of culture, a lot of borrowed from neighbors and external influences.

04 Aug 2004 | Jeff said...

"No one is better than anyone else."

What a horrible, horrible concept. I'm still trying to wrap my head around this one because of its blatant apologism for socialism.

While no one can deny that all governments are some form of Socialism one way or another, here in America we are very much against this concept that the value of an individual should be mandated by the government and only by the government.

Who is to say what my value to you is? That can only be determined by whether you find value in me in the first place. Not by some government official that says "you are worth this much, and he is worth that much".

I cannot believe people still fall for this dark age socialist mentality. I think I'm better than a lot of people in regards to several variables and qualifiers. And I think a lot of people are better than me in other variables and qualifiers.

How can we say the government can mandate what the value is for each of us?

The only thing we should all be equal in is the opportunity to find our value. The opportunity to do what we want, and build our own value and build value in others.

(OK, I'm done now. hehe)

04 Aug 2004 | Darrel said...

I'm still trying to wrap my head around this one because of its blatant apologism for socialism.

Why would one need to apologize for socialist concepts?

here in America we are very much against this concept

Or so it seems. We've have plenty of social programs in this country as well.

we are very much against this concept that the value of an individual should be mandated by the government and only by the government.

That sure makes the gay marriage debate seem ironic, doesn't it? ;o)

Who is to say what my value to you is?

I believe the phrase 'all men are created equal' rinds a bell. I'd certainly put that in the same ballpark as "no one is better than anoyone else".

I cannot believe people still fall for this dark age socialist mentality.

People don't 'fall' for it. They actively choose it. And it works well a lot of the time. It doesn't work well plenty of the time too.

Keep in mind socialist regimes aren't the same as selective social programs.

04 Aug 2004 | JF said...

I believe the phrase 'all men are created equal' rings a bell.

"Created" is a moment. After that we're on our own. And after that point, certainly some people are worth more to society than others.

04 Aug 2004 | Darrel said...

"Created" is a moment. After that we're on our own. And after that point, certainly some people are worth more to society than others.

True, true...

05 Aug 2004 | Jeff said...

Why would one need to apologize for socialist concepts?

Because it's a lie. Telling everyone that nobody is better than them, and they are no better than anybody else. Ridiculous. What is the point then? Don't believe the hype. Being human is about aspiration and experience. Some people aspire to do different things than others. And I, as an INDIVIDUAL, hold some of those things to be BETTER than other things. It's a LIE to say "we're all equal". Socialism is apologism for going against nature. Jante's Law is the epitome of this.

here in America we are very much against this concept

Or so it seems. We've have plenty of social programs in this country as well.

Yes and I said that already. All governments are social contracts between the masses and their leaders. Some give more freedom to the people.... more freedom to determine their OWN values.

we are very much against this concept that the value of an individual should be mandated by the government and only by the government.

That sure makes the gay marriage debate seem ironic, doesn't it? ;o)

Yes, that is because a group of people in America want the government to determine the value of individuals of certain "status" by mandate. This group of people, mostly on the right, who call themselves Republicans are actually Socialists. They want Society to be more important than the individual. THEIR society. In some ways, you could say they are Nationalist Socialist. Because they want THEIR nation to reflect the way they want Society to be.

You see, I see no difference between left wing Socialists and right wing Socialists. Anybody who wants to mandate what is allowed and what is not, what is valuable and what is not, is a Socialist of some sort, ultimately. This person believes that Government should mandate the value of someone, just because they are of some sexual orientation or make a certain amount of money. Both sides want their authority over individuals that dissent from their social standards.

Who is to say what my value to you is?

I believe the phrase 'all men are created equal' rinds a bell. I'd certainly put that in the same ballpark as "no one is better than anoyone else".

Again, I already said this. I said that all people are equal in America on the basis that they all get to determine their own value and place value on others. That doesn't mean all people make the same amount of money, or are just as pretty as the next, or draw just as well as the blind guy. We are not equal in our aspirations and desires. We are simply thrust into this environment and should have equal OPPORTUNITY. We all get to PURSUE happiness. We aren't guaranteed it.

I cannot believe people still fall for this dark age socialist mentality.

People don't 'fall' for it. They actively choose it. And it works well a lot of the time. It doesn't work well plenty of the time too.

It only works for those it does not affect. For those it does affect, it affects their dreams and desires.

Read up on some Paine. He knew what we are talking about would eventually be an issue. He felt government was horrible and evil at the worst, but at best it was intolerable. ;)

We're all willing to live with intolerable governments. I feel the American one is closer to this side. Because most folks here get a fair shake based on their motivation and ability. We know some people are better than others, and they deserve all the rewards they get. We try not to push down the successful folks because we know they hire unemployed folks and pump tons of money into the economy. But the Socialists want everyone to be "equal". Nobody is better than anybody else. What BS.

Vonnegut wrote a great short story about this how in the future, the pretty ballet dancers have to wear ugly masks and heavy weights so that they're not any better than the crappy, ugly and fat ballet dancers. And everybody that watches this stuff on TV is jolted with electricity every 10 seconds so that if they were thinking of something too deeply, they'd forget because of the pain.

I'm sorry, I'm melodramatic about this stuff, I know. But I really do think there is a huge disconnect with reality that people who really find "value" and "devaluing" real human nature and its desires and passion and aspiration to "do better" have. They just don't get it.

05 Aug 2004 | Don Schenck said...

Jeff, did I mention that you're a Libertarian? Did I mention that?

05 Aug 2004 | Mike said...


We know some people are better than others, and they deserve all the rewards they get. We try not to push down the successful folks because we know they hire unemployed folks and pump tons of money into the economy. But the Socialists want everyone to be "equal". Nobody is better than anybody else. What BS.

What exactly are you basing "better" on? More naturally skilled? More motivated? More knowledgeable? I'm reminded of a moment on the cartoon series Invader Zim where Zim, an alien from elsewhere in the galaxy, attemps to find the "best" friend, based on tests like absorbtion and conductivity.

I think Jeff is pointing at some imaginary across-the-board socialism, where no one owns more than anyone else and everything is exactly the same. To me, this is a lot less plausible than the idea that people can attain their greatest possible station in society by applying themselves. Which is still pretty silly, when you consider that people are born into poverty, to abusive parents, or in the "wrong" part of the world. We could level out the playing field so that everyone has.... equal.. opportunity, but then we might be too scared to differentiate ourselves. You know, the difficulty the Danes supposedly have.

05 Aug 2004 | Darrel said...

It's all about balance....

30 Jan 2005 | compatelius said...

bocigalingus must be something funny.

18 Feb 2005 | consolidation online said...

4152 Nice site here

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