[klausjensen]

I don't think that paints a very good picture of what Janteloven / Law of Jante is.

In many other cultures, success is celebrated. Janteloven is the opposite of that, ensuring that success is criticized an seen as undeserved or lucky.

I find it to be one of the worst aspects of Scandinavian culture, which is full of other good things, that I love.

[olavk]

The Law of Jante is not about success as such, and not really about criticizing success either. It is a law that says you should not pretend you are better than your peers. If success makes you act as if you are actually better than other people (bragging, acting arrogant, or just publicly suggesting that you actually deserve the success) you are met with disapproval. But the disapproval is not towards the success itself, but towards acting differently because of it.

[klausjensen]

It might be too long since I read Aksel Sandemose's "En flyktning krysser sit spor", which is where the Law of Jante originates, but if you read the 10 commandments of Jante, I think you are a bit on the soft side in your interpretation. :)

http://denstoredanske.dk/Kunst_og_kultur/Litteratur/Nyere_mo...

[olavk]

The book is extremely harsh, but I don't really think the law as expressed in the book is applicable to Scandinavian culture in general.

Also, the Law of Jante made him kill a sailor at a deserted bay in Newfoundland. So we should be careful when understanding the book as some universal sociological study.

In the book he states the law is a way for the lower classes to keep each other down, and he explicit states the law of Jante exists among the proletariat everywhere and is stronger in Brooklyn than in Jante (the fictional Scandinavian town in the book). He was a socialist, of course.

I do think a "soft form" of the law can be used to understand Scandinavian culture to some extent.