Janteloven 2 - The Commandments of Jante

The term “the Commandments of Jante” is used to describe a way of thinking in the Scandinavian countries. It first appeared in the book “En flyktning krysser sine spor” by the Danish author Aksel Sandemose, a book about the small fictional village Jante.

“The Commandments of Jante”:

1. You shall not think that you ARE something.
2. You shall not think that you are as much as US.
3. You shall not think that you are wiser than US.
4. You shall not imagine that you are better than US.
5. You shall not think that you know more than US
6. You shall not think that you are better than US.
7. You shall not think that YOU are good at anything.
8. You shall not laugh at US.
9. You shall not think that anyone cares about YOU.
10. You shall not think that you can teach US anything. 

             From “En Flyktning krysser sine spor” by Aksel Sandemose


"The Anti-Jante Commandments"
1. You are exceptional.
2. You are more worthy than anyone can measure.
3. You can do something special.
4. You have got something to give to others.
5. You have done something you can be proud of.
6. You've got a bundle of unused resources.
7. You are good at something.
8. You can accept others.
9. You've got the capability to understand and learn from others.
10. There is someone who loves you.
                                                          Erling Frølund

Not as bad as it sounds
It is not completely true to say that Janteloven is a way of thinking, most of the commandments have never been practiced in real life. What it cooks down to is that you shall not emphasize yourself, your possessions or your own feats, but you SHALL be modest. The commandments of Jante can be looked at in two ways:

1. It tries to keep everyone at a modest average, holding the geniuses back, oppressing them. It gives people low self-esteem as every time they do something good, they say “It’s no big deal, anyone can do it, probably better than me, too. I didn’t do anything good.”

2. The other way to look at it is positive (and in most cases more realistic): The Commandments of Jante makes everyone equal, non are better than anyone else. This doesn’t mean that one is pulled back to average, rather that everyone thinks they are just as good as the others. This has resulted in a short way from top to bottom in firms and organizations. The newly hired assistant having no trouble getting ideas through to the executive boss - he doesn’t feel that he has to go the long way through the other bosses: he and the executive is after all just as good, so why not just knock on his door? This way of looking at the Commandments of Jante gives more self-esteem, instead of less as the first one.

No matter which one of these interpretations one choose, there is one effect that is the same: People who brag of themselves, or who like to show off their wealth with extraordinary expensive objects are easier disliked by the others. Modesty is highly valued in Scandinavia. That is why many will outwardly give the impression of being very modest while they might be thinking something completely the opposite.

....from ThinkQuest.org