Interesting set of rules, and context is everything.
I can imagine these rules being summed up as “have humility” in an egalitarian democracy.
I can also imagine these same rules being the threatening cant of a doctrinaire, close-minded, right-wing, fearful, authoritarian society scared that someone might step out of line - summed up by “don’t be in any way different”.
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I do. That’s why I like it so much.
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gender neutral?
I think you’re right on both accounts. The Janteloven has been debated for decades in Scandinavia. Does it represent positive (?) outcomes, like happiness with one’s place, or rigid adherence to a Harrison-Bergeron-like “equality”?
I first learned of the Janteloven from a Norwegian friend, who actually carried around the Laws on a laminated card in his wallet to remind him. Even though the Law was intended as satire, at least some people take it seriously enough to live by it.
The WP article mentions an anecdote about the Jante Law:
When interviewed during episode 646 of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert , broadcast November 9, 2018, Swedish actor Alexander Skarsgård explained that although he had recently received an Emmy and a Golden Globe Award for a lauded performance, the inhibitions induced by the Law of Jante prevented him from boasting of the accolade.
I don’t know how much influence the Janteloven has had in Finland, though.
ETA the video link, where Skarsgård explains the Janteloven to Colbert in the first 4 minutes.
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Yes…
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If his painting reflects his philosophy, he’s already broken Jante Law #1: “You’re not to think you are anything special.” 
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Whoa! We’re moving into Tom of Finland territory here!
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I wonder if Finns are as happy during the winter as they are during the summer. What time of year do they conduct the surveys?
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They probably conduct surveys in winter – in the sauna.
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The Finns Party, formerly known as the True Finns
If they had to have a loony Nationalist identity party it’s a shame they didn’t go with the “Are you QUITE Finnish?” Party.
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Perussuomalaiset actually translates as Basic Finns.
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Ok. But, tell me: Where’s the money in any of that?
A very similar thing happened to me when I was living in the US! I did actually call the ambulance in my case. The rest is similar though. The bill for the bus was sent to my insurance and I never heard about it ever again. Turns out they had rejected the claim for unspecified reasons and never told me about it. So a year later I start getting calls and letters from collections agencies and it has been reported on my credit. I paid an eighth point extra on my first mortgage because of that damned bill. I think I calculated that, over the life of my mortgage, that ambulance ride ended up costing me about $25,000 (or would have, if I hadn’t sold the house before the end).
That was pretty much my introduction to the American healthcare system, and I learned to do what you describe– going through every bill with a fine-toothed comb– from then on. Being a naïve Canadian, it never occurred to me that something as basic as an ambulance ride wouldn’t have been covered (or at least that they would tell me if it wasn’t). All that for a lousy $600 that I would have paid immediately if someone had bothered to tell me I owed it.
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Yes, thanks, I should have made the distinction. I know that singing Finlandia is a source of pride and joy (as much as is allowed in Finland! /s) but is not the official – as in, played at the Olympics – National Anthem.
But I’ve really appreciated how it’s been translated for English speakers, to show a very different way of being patriotic.
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My experience living there was also that Americans have a kind of Stockholm Syndrome about it. They can’t conceive that anything better can ever exist. The Canadian system is far from perfect (and COVID created some pretty major staffing shortages that we’re struggling with right now) but my old American friends are shocked that there isn’t a cash register in the doctor’s office here. They ask, “so… how do you pay?”. Like they can’t wrap their heads around the idea that taxes are enough to do this and everyone can have free healthcare pretty easily if there’s a will (and a few less air conditioned tents in Afghanistan). “You just say thank you and walk out”, I say. It’s always a funny conversation.
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I think the only place I have ever seen anybody singing Finlandia is a bunch of drunk students in a park during May Day…
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