Janteloven in America

August 28, 2008

Don't think you are anything. [*] (Du skal ikke tro du er noget.)
Don't think you are as good as us. (Du skal ikke tro du er lige så meget som os.)
Don't think you are smarter than us. (Du skal ikke tro du er klogere end os.)
Don't fancy yourself better than us. (Du skal ikke bilde dig ind du er bedre end os.)
Don't think you know more than us. (Du skal ikke tro du ved mere end os.)
Don't think you are greater than us. (Du skal ikke tro du er mere end os.)
Don't think you can do better than us. (Du skal ikke tro du dur til noget.)
Don't laugh at us. (Du skal ikke le ad os.)
Don't think that anyone cares about you. (Du skal ikke tro nogen bryder sig om dig.)
Don't think you can teach us anything. (Du skal ikke tro, at du kan lære os noget.)

This is from a 1933 book by Danish author Aksel Sandemose entitled En flyktning krysser sitt spor. Commonly referred to as the Law of Jante (or, Janteloven), it's in some ways a model for the Scandinavian (and upper Midwestern American) idea of conformity.

Self-defense on the Cheap

August 12, 2008

You don't need to spend a month's pay for a good handgun.  There are several alternatives out there for less than $300.  Case in point: the Bersa Thunder.

This little gun really surprised me.  I was function-testing it for a customer, and the group on the right comprised the first magazine.  Impressed, I reloaded and touched off eight more.

For ~$250, you could do far worse.  Even considering my marginal marksmanship, the little Argentine pistol is as mechanically accurate as anything I've shot.