What is the Law of Jante, and why shouldn't you care?
The Law of Jante and entrepreneurship was the subject in April 2011, when I took a very blunt stand against the term. I was interested in whether it was sometimes used to explain every criticism or hold yourself back.
The Law of Jante and entrepreneurship weren’t the whole explanation
I thought you also needed to look at your own behaviour. Other people’s reactions could be about tone and conduct, not just envy of your success.
I used public figures and an experience with a landlord in the US as examples. Those were my interpretations, not something I could know about everyone’s motives.
Critical questions could be relevant
I talked about discussions on Amino where sceptical questions about a project were met with accusations of the Law of Jante.
My point was to investigate objections instead of immediately rejecting them. A big earnings promise didn’t improve by accusing others of envy.
Was I afraid to take the chance myself?
I encouraged people to consider whether fear of failure or others’ reactions was part of why they held back.
I also talked about my own experiences of driving a Porsche. I’d mostly encountered curiosity, but recounted one unpleasant episode.
The video’s harsh words about people, countries and working life are my rhetoric from 2011. They don’t allow me to determine why another person hesitates or promise how others will react. My message was to look honestly at both criticism and your own choices. Also read Skab din egen succes about finding your own way and daring to work for what you want.
Also read about my thoughts on the fear of starting a business.
What do we actually mean by the Law of Jante?
Whenever I’m in Denmark, I hear people talking about the Law of Jante. The same often happens on Amino. Aksel Sandemose formulated his ten rules, but I can’t remember them all and won’t go through them here. I’m interested in what Danes normally mean by the term: Don’t think you’re anything special. Don’t think you can do more than the rest of us.
I don’t think those reactions are uniquely Danish. They’re human. I put it rather bluntly in the video: If you have more than me and also behave like an arsehole, I don’t like you. My point is that envy and arrogance can get mixed up, and then people call the whole mixture the Law of Jante.
Success and attitude are two different things
I use Anja Andersen as an example. I remember her rejection of the Law of Jante and messages such as "Fuck the Law of Jante" and "Denmark is too small for me". But my interpretation is that some resistance could also have been about her attitude: Shouting, screaming, giving people the finger and belittling others. That’s how I perceived her public manner, so I ask whether every negative reaction was necessarily envy of her success.
I also mention Flemming Østergaard, Don Ø. I’m very fond of him and know him personally as a warm, gifted man. But in my view, he also built FCK through a strong "us and them". Us meant Copenhagen and FCK, and them meant everyone else. Among other things, I remember TV adverts ridiculing people from Jutland.
I actually think that way of building a brand was bloody clever, and it worked. But if you tease and annoy others to promote your own team, you also need to accept the flak that comes back. Pressure creates counterpressure. I think you can acknowledge that rather than explain every reaction through the Law of Jante.
My landlord in the US and the stars we like
Danes often say you can drive a big car in the US without anyone commenting. That’s my experience too, when you behave decently. But I have an example right by my own house showing the other side.
My landlord lives at the end of the road. He has the biggest house and drives the biggest car, and my impression is that others on the road don’t like him. I don’t think it’s just about the house and car. I also find him condescending. He doesn’t say hello, doesn’t join social events and seems arrogant when you meet him.
If that were Denmark, someone would probably call it the Law of Jante. But again, I think you also need to consider behaviour. I can’t read the neighbours’ minds; it’s my assessment of the situation around me.
Back in Denmark, we have plenty of great sports stars we’re fond of. I mention Preben Elkjær, the Laudrup brothers and Caroline Wozniacki. They’ve been successful too. I remember Elkjær fondly even though he missed penalties too. My experience is that we can easily like people with big houses, red carpets and lots of success if they also seem kind and human.
So I think the term Law of Jante gets misused. It can hide the difference between envy of others’ achievements and a reaction to how they treat you.
A cheering crowd isn’t a business plan
On Amino, I also see the Law of Jante used as a response to criticism of a business. I particularly address some people returning from a multilevel marketing seminar imagining they’ll soon live in a hammock, on a cruise ship or with a Rolls-Royce and a free Ferrari.
I describe the big cheering events at the Falconer Centret, where the atmosphere is electric. The participant then comes to Amino looking for prospects and people for their downline. Find five friends who each find five, who each find another five: Five becomes 25, then 125. Suddenly, it sounds like all Denmark and Panama, canal included, will soon be working for you after you put in an effort in week one.
Of course, that’s a caricature, but those are the kinds of promises I’m attacking. I think it’s piss and bullshit when it’s sold as an easy, certain route to wealth. I also describe the annoyance of people refusing even to say what’s being sold until you’ve watched a 20-minute video, signed up and given your phone number for more contact.
Some entrepreneurs patiently try bringing the enthusiastic participant back down to earth: Success takes talent and hard work, or at least hard work. Others get tired of seeing the same post repeatedly and respond more sharply.
But instead of considering whether the easy-money promise was too good to be true, the reply is often: The Law of Jante! You begrudge me success. You’re just jealous I’ve found the golden egg.
When I exaggerate with figures like 99.99 per cent in the video, that’s my blunt rhetoric, not a count of discussions. The message is that multilevel marketing also requires work. The hammock and Ferrari don’t come from shouting louder than those asking questions.
Investors are allowed to ask critical questions
It’s not necessarily the Law of Jante when a bank or investor asks you to face reality either. I use the image of a business plan written on the back of a remote control. You want an investor to put up five million kroner for five per cent of an idea, and the investor also needs to find the sales team.
When a project like that meets resistance, I think you should look at the project and your own effort. Calling every sceptic jealous doesn’t help. Criticism can be an opportunity to improve the work.
The Law of Jante can become an excuse to stay put
The most important part of my message concerns people who could become good entrepreneurs but use the Law of Jante to hold themselves back. Leaving your comfort zone takes something. It’s more than sitting in an armchair getting your weekly excitement from Vild med dans.
Trying things involves risk. In extreme sports, you can get hurt. If you ask the nice girl out, she can say no and you can feel foolish. If you start a business, you can go bust. It takes a major effort, and in the video I also talk about committing financially to making it work. That’s my blunt description of the effort and risk, not a promise that big risks bring rewards.
Then the Law of Jante can become the joker that makes both outcomes impossible. If I fail, I go bust. If I succeed, I imagine my children being teased at school, my neighbour scratching my car and friends and family disowning me.
With that story, I can stay seated and say it’s society’s fault, the stars’ fault or all Danes’ fault that I never took the chance. Then I don’t have to examine whether I’m actually afraid to fail or unwilling to make the extra effort.
My wording is harsh, and I say that in that situation, the Law of Jante thinking comes from fear. I can understand the fear: Extra work and failure aren’t necessarily much fun. But I want us to be honest with ourselves instead of hiding behind the term.
At the same time, I lash out at the idea of choosing a public-sector office, a rubber stamp and a ministry instead of creating something yourself. I say 90 per cent don’t create prosperity. That’s my provocative opinion and rhetoric in this video from 2011, not evidence of what public employees contribute.
The alternative is to spot the bad excuse and say: You know what, I nearly talked myself out of success there. Then do something about it.
My Porsche mostly brought curious questions
I’ve owned four different Porsches, three of them in Denmark. My experience is that people at petrol stations generally came over, said the car looked great and asked how fast it could go.
I remember one time I was harassed. I was stopped at a red light outside the now-closed Ungdomshuset. Around ten young people with piercings, tattoos and long hair gave me the finger and shouted "capitalist pig". I could survive that. I’d had the car for three years and otherwise mostly encountered positive interest.
That’s the experience I want to pass on: Go out and become an entrepreneur, succeed, help Denmark and help yourself to a great life. Fuck the Law of Jante and the few who begrudge you that. I don’t think there are many, and you can do without them.
Historical webinar reference: The original post invited readers to a Twitter webinar on Thursday 14 April 2011 at 20:00 through Amino Plus. The date belongs to the event at the time.
– At gå røven kan faktisk være meget lærerigt. Hvis man forstår og bruge det.