Comments on: Jante Something or the Other

By: Kajsa Troll

Kajsa Troll — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:50:38 +0000

Not trying to be greater than you or anything, but doesn’t något in this case translate to something rather than anything?
Don’t think you are something = Du skall inte tro att du är något.

By: Adam

Adam — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 07:43:31 +0000

Good to hear (or read actually) that I’m not alone. When I first heard of those I was sceptical and now when I think about it, I’d have to say you are totally right!

Sorry for your loss though… Don’t forget to check tradera.com

By: Timan Russel

Timan Russel — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 21:16:53 +0000

I believe that every thing has itis price..my friend has released from jail ,directyl he asked my sista why she refused to be his alibi..she said simply..you were passing me by ,so never give damn..The star witness “stylist” is an innocent in your case..SO better not take any sort of preparations for rantings..According to JanteLagen..in your case item 9..just yesterday, I wondered where we are heading..when I read THe Winter coming..by this post we on the right direction..it is tough and exciting lesson..WE gained powerfull Swede vocabularies..in proper time , plz put a light on StocholmSyndrome..Good job.

By: Anna

Anna — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 10:13:15 +0000

Hi David!

You are probably right about emigration. But like I said before, it’s the same the world over - when you’re stuck in a small town and want to achieve something, you just gotta run. An interesting thing about Mr. Sandemose was that he did try to emigrate to Canada, IIRC, but then returned to Norway. Odd, isn’t it?

I thought that by re-reading the book I could perhaps see something that I’ve missed before and maybe offer a different interpretation this time around. Sadly, even the uni library doesn’t have a copy, not even in Swedish.

I’ve asked for a second opinion from my American friends who are familiar with Jantelagen, and this is what they said: “There are works in the American literature that present a less-than-flattering image of our country, or a state, or a particular town, sometimes in a very jantelagish manner, yet nobody in their right mind would think to equate these books with the whole nation and claim that this is how Americans think and act. If anyone did this, we’d simply laugh and say he was off is rocker.”
But when the same is done to Scandinavia, based on Mr. Sandemose’s book, people take it as Gospel.

By: David from Oregon

David from Oregon — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 01:22:05 +0000

Perhaps some of the people who give credence to this subject are trying to justify why their ancestors emigrated from Sweden. Do the Jante Laws have anything to do with the old Ni - du relationship? Or that women were expected to “niga” to their superiors? But perhaps historic social customs are another topic altogether. You did get me to dust off my dictionary - “förmer” was a new word for me.