Jantelovenn (Jante’s Law) is a term coined by the Danish-Norwegian writer Aksel Sandemose in his 1933 book A Fugitive Crosses His Tracks. It captures the Scandinavian ideal of conformity, emphasizing that individual success is unworthy and inappropriate. To stand out or call attention to yourself in any way is to jeopardize the collective “we.”
Promoting the collective “we” above “I” ensures the survival of the group, the stability of society, and fairness and equality for everyone. The concept may have developed to reinforce the necessity for interdependency among members of small farming communities, combatting the “me first” attitude that can develop in times of extreme poverty. Continue reading Jante’s Law →
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Eew. Sounds messy, even at half price.
Yum!
Santa in drag as Mrs. Claus?
Aren’t phonetics awesome?
Don’t eat these before a business meeting. (It actually means “in speed,” essentially “eat these on the run.”)
I fart foreskins? I dunno either. (It actually means “research on the move.”)
January 20, 2015. Yep, that’s right. Let’s call a spade a spade. I’m illiterate. I’m living in a place where I can’t read a newspaper, the street signs, ads in store windows, cryptic notes that my neighbors post in the hall, or the operating instructions for my washing machine. I can’t fill out forms or applications at the bank, post office, or dentist’s office without someone translating each line to me in English. Continue reading Being Illiterate →
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Learning to Live in the Land of the Midnight Sun
