An interesting discussion

I just had my Danish Language and Culture class, and we had a really interesting discussion about the Danish mentality, so I thought I would share some of the most interesting points with you, dear readers. So basically it kicked off when were talking about the Jante Law. Some Danish author in the 1930's wrote a book which included this kind of cultural code that amounts to "Don't think you are special or better than anyone else."

"Don't think that you are special.
Don't think that you are of the same standing as us.
Don't think that you are smarter than us.
Don't fancy yourself as being better than us.
Don't think that you know more than us.
Don't think that you are more important than us.
Don't think that you are good at anything.
Don't laugh at us.
Don't think that anyone cares about you.
Don't think that you can teach us anything."

So we got to talking about how this is not exactly taught in schools, but represented well by the public school system, where basically everything is taught for the average student, and we really branched off on how in America, everyone is taught that they are special and unique from a young age, and how that contributes to (well, at least perceived) American arrogance versus Danish modesty.

Some other simple things that tie into this concept of modesty and everyone being equal, that I think differ greatly from the US:

It is impolite and very difficult to brag about anything, even successes in school.
Parents won't even brag about their kids to others.
There's no talk in grammar schools about what kids want to do as a profession, not even in a fantasy-type way, as far as I can tell.

And in regards to university education:

Most people need to know from day one what they are going to study.
But then, almost everyone takes a gap year to figure that out.
Programs are three years for a B.A. and two more for an M.A.
Everyone does the five years, because you can't get a job here without an M.A.
Students get state financial support for at least four of those five years, what amounts to 3,500 DKK a month (roughly, 700 dollars) -- but this is for all expenses like rent, books, food, travel, and most students get a part time job.

Things I learned while typing this post: There is no key for a dollar sign on these Danish keyboards at DIS! (I didn't bring my laptop with me.)

I'll probably update again later today all about my study tour to Århus and Odense!