Personal Experiences,Study, Learning Blog of Abu Rashid aka Harun

It is interesting to know that widespread equality including income equality, gender equality in Scandinavian countries has got its inspiration from a writer’s pen. Well, it is called jantes law.

https://ourhouseinaarhus.wordpress.com/2014/05/15/standing-out-in-denmark-discovering-the-jante-law/

Janteloven was created by Danish-Norwegian author Aksel Sandemose in 1933 in his novel A Fugitive Crosses His Tracks (En flyktning krysser sitt spor).

The novel is about a small Danish town called Jante which abides by these 10 – rather harsh – laws:

These can all be boiled down to one sentiment: you are no better than anyone else here.

An interesting note about Danish language:

http://www.forastateofhappiness.com/tag/law-of-jante/

In Danish, there is no formal version of ‘you’, even the Prime Minister is a ‘you’. Compare this  to the difference between informal and formal in many languages, such as du and Sie in German, or titles like ‘Sir’ and ‘Dame’ in the UK social class system.

For some years, scandenivan coutnreis are topping happiness and living index. So definitely there is some good things in their culture. I think we can take both part of the world- taking the humble egalitarian view at one hand knowing all are philosophically equal and the other hand encourage people try to excel and enjoy life with moderation.

http://www.wageningenur.nl/en/Education-Programmes/prospective-master-students/Internship-and-thesis-research-1/Welcome-to-the-WURldexplorers/Evelien-Heusinkveld/Hygge-and-the-law-of-Jante.htm

It is not an official law which is written down, but all Danish people live by it. Children learn these rules very early. It can also be seen in the educational system. Group works are very common and as I have said before, there is an easy connection between the student and professor. The same applies for companies, there isn’t this large groove between the boss and employee.

An interesting paper

Generating Equality and Eliminating Poverty, The Swedish Way by Anders Bjorklund, Richard B. Freeman NBER Working Paper No. 4945
Issued in December 1994
NBER Program(s):   LS

http://www.nber.org/papers/w4945

So some blueprint for change may be in Bangladesh like the following:

Like English, there would be only one ‘you’, no formal ‘you’ like ‘apni’. For the time being, ‘tupni’ may be used as suggested by Syed Mujtaba Ali.

Domestic help and other lower status folk should be allowed to sit on chairs. If not then there should not be nay chair, all sit down.

No special allocation for normal male , it should be first come first served. Well enjoying things using money is alright and position may be considered like money. There should be some places where it would be egalitarian and may be some cases a little different .However wherever possible near equality should be present.