Not funny

Not funny

Reading the poem Sour and sweet always meet (The Jakarta Post,
July 27, 1996) in "Your Letters" column, I am compelled to make
this comment. The poet apparently wanted to be funny, but what
was written about Pak Djuana and ilk is not funny at all.

I personally like humor, but the wording might easily be
misinterpreted and cause trouble, especially during these
turbulent times. The poem haunted me for three days and nights
and I lost my appetite into the bargain. I would advise the poet
to choose her words more carefully and kindly allow me to cite an
old saying I accidentally came across in Kenkyusha's 1960 edition
of an English-Japanese dictionary: Sile et philosophus esto or,
in the Queen's English, "Hold your tongue and you will pass for a
philosopher."

PAK DJUANA

Jakarta