#janteloven

[fangomusic]

Smerz, Big City Life

New music Wednesday

Smerz’s stunning and somber new album captures a blend of deep, intoxicating, and slightly unsettling emotions, like a powerful elixir. It’s a passionate and nervously energetic collection that instantly feels like a total work of art. The Norwegian duo merge eerie, nocturnal beats with modern classical and electronic experimentation.

[ifindus]

the nordics under the effect of the law of jante (?)

Wasn't quite sure of how to interpret this, so I assigned them each one of the laws that I felt they might be the most influenced by.

Janteloven (the law of Jante) was created by a Danish author in the 1930s, where Jante was the town where the story unfolded. Jante was supposed to be similar to any Scandinavian town, and Janteloven the unspoken rules of the society. Today Janteloven is seen as something that influences us all in the way that we (Scandinavians) look down on anyone trying to behave better than "normal people", believing they are better. Janteloven has often been critisised as putting people down and that no one really dares to take risks or be successful - stagnating progress. Some celebrities or athletes often say "fuck the law of Jante, I know I am better than other people", and while people try to break with the law of Jante, it comes across very arrogant and rude - which I guess means I am very much influenced by this unwritten law myself 😅

[therealvinelle]

Can you link your fic? Every time I see it mentioned I want to read it but you always avoid linking it or talking much about it.

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Here it is!

I have a major hangup against self-promo, I just can't do it. I think it's janteloven. Fucks up every good Scandinavian.

Hope you like the fic!

[erlendbv]

I can’t believe we have to reiterate this... It is NOT OKAY to shoot other people because you are OFFENDED by what they DRAW! Even if they drew it to offend you -- NO SHOOTING OF THEM! Never okay to shoot people. Never, ever okay to shoot people!

Jon Stewart

[erlendbv]

We have a tendency to grant amnesty to people that we agree with, and to overly demonize people we don’t. I do the same thing, I think everybody does.

Jon Stewart

[sorju]

being raised with janteloven and the four noble truths did a number on me

[humanhalfofachilleus]

i think I'm autistic (multiple autistic people independent of each other have asked if I am but I don't have access to a diagnosis), but I often times when I see autistic representation, read books about and by autistics, see posts on the internet and so on, allistics ask questions and make corrections similar to "why are you like that? why are you so weird? why do you not make eye contact?" and I've assumed that was a "criteria" for being autistic: that people tell you you're weird and make you acutely aware of it.

but I've never experienced that, and as much as I relate to other (actual) symptoms/criteria, the lack of bullying has been holding me back.

anyway, I think it's a cultural thing: the asking correcting questions.

I think most of the autistic media I've consumed has come out of North America and Britain, but I'm from Denmark and I think there are vast differences between the cultures.

just going off of stereotypes, please do correct me if I'm wrong, but hear me out:

"the American dream" is, from what I gather, the backbone of the creation of the US. it almost gives people the right to advance in life and reach their goals given that they work for it.

in Denmark we have what's called "janteloven" (the law of Jante (Jante is an old word for a worthless button that happens to have the ability to write like a pencil - our word for pencil, "blyant" probably stems from Jante as well.) I digress.) which is an unwritten* set of rules that shape how Danish people act. it goes something like: you shall not believe you are anything, you shall not believe you are more than us, you shall not think you are smarter than us ... better than us ... know more than us ... are worth more than us and so on and so on.

it's formulated as if it speaks on behalf of an un-delimited group no one knows who is, so it is anyone. the group becomes society and the whole of everyone else, does that make sense? like, if the group isn't limited, it's everyone.

janteloven is in the back of our heads whenever we do anything and it hink sometimes it holds us back. but I also think janteloven is what's "saved" me from verbal bullying like I see others have been through. nobody dares ask questions like that about one another because that would mean they'd see themselves as more than and it would draw attention, and if there's anything janteloven won't allow its drawing attention to oneself.

however, when we can't get ourselves to be verbal, the only bullying method left is the silent treatment so that's what people do: they act kind and say they're your friend but they'll ignore you any chance they get. I've heard that from exchange students as well, so it's not just me.

anyway, just a little analysis of janteloven and the silent treatment. I think it's interesting.

*janteloven was written down one time in the 1900s I think, but it's more of a deep cultural memory now than a set of rules people look in to find guidance.

[keithanime]

Jantelagen / Janteloven

T.I.L. (Today I Learned) a new word after watching a show/series on Netflix called ‘This Is Pop’ (Season 1, Episode 3: Stockholm Syndrome). The word is, “jantelagen”.

Jantelagen (swedish) or Janteloven (danish) - a deep-rooted Nordic code [of conduct], which promotes the idea of never thinking you are better than anyone else (and calling out those who break this norm).

10 Rules

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.

To sum it up in 3 words: Just Be Humble