Жанте заңы: Скандинавиялық мінез-құлық кодексі

Code of conduct assumed to describe Nordic countries

The Law of Jante (YANtuh, Janteloven ) is a code of conduct originating in fiction and now used colloquially to denote a social attitude of disapproval towards expressions of individuality and personal success. Created by the Danish Norwegian author Aksel Sandemose, it has also come to represent the egalitarian nature of Scandinavian countries. The "Law" was first formulated as ten rules in Sandemose's satirical novel A Fugitive Crosses His Tracks (En flyktning krysser sitt spor, 1933), but the attitudes themselves are older. Sandemose portrays the fictional small Danish town of Jante, modelled upon his native town Nykøbing Mors in the 1930s where nobody was anonymous, a feature of life typical of small towns.

Although intended as criticism of society in general, some critics in the 1990s argued that the Law of Jante had shifted to refer to personal criticism of people who want to break out of their social groups and reach a higher position. It is common in Scandinavia to claim the Law of Jante as something quintessentially Danish, Norwegian or Swedish. The rules are treated as a way of behaving in order to fit in and results in dressing similarly and the types of cars that people buy and buying similar products for their homes. and educational advisor, claims that the Law of Jante is taught in schools as more of a social code to encourage group behavior, and attempts to credit it with fueling Nordic countries' high happiness scores. It has also been suggested that contentedness with a humdrum lifestyle is a part of happiness in the Scandinavian countries. However, in Scandinavia, there have also been journalistic articles which link the Law of Jante to high suicide rates. Backlash has occurred against the rules, and in Norway someone even placed a grave for Jante Laws, declaring them dead in 2005. However, others have questioned whether they will ever go away, as they may be firmly entrenched in society. In Wisting, a 2019 Norwegian police procedural television series, partially in English, the character Line says (translated), "The newspaper sales numbers and the Law of Jante are merging." In Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, Bourdain and René Redzepi discuss Jantelovens effect on Danish culture. In some interviews, Greta Thunberg credits and appreciates the law for her being ignored by Swedes that see her in public.