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Daily reminder that “Jante” is a literary invention and not some established sociological phenomenom, even though everyone seems to think it is.
by operantoperator 5y ago
Daily reminder that “Jante” is a literary invention and not some established sociological phenomenom, even though everyone seems to think it is.
- numair 5y agoDon’t you think it describes a true feeling, though? I read the laws long after my time living on-off in Scandinavia (way before the weird “cool Scandinavia,” “let’s all be hygge” trend started) and was amazed at how it captured the silent feelings I observed in society there.
- operantoperator 5y agoMost people who talk about it have lived in only one place, namely some Scandinavian country. They have nothing to compare it to. Yet they are somehow convinced that that describes their place as something unique compared to other places. When really, for all they know, those things could be general characteristics. Or just the human (social) condition. Therefore I don’t take it seriously.
- numair 5y agoI’ve lived in a few places for several years at a time. Based on my (still limited, but real) experiences, I think Jante Law isn’t unique to Scandinavia, but it’s definitely real, and it definitely isn’t a universal phenomenon.