Symposium explores seriousness of humor
SEMARANG (JP): Noted cultural observer Umar Kayam expressed concern that civilian and military officials, as well as Indonesia's educated elite, offer society only "colorless and humorless" jargon.
Speaking at a symposium on humor yesterday, Umar, who is also an author and professor at School of Letters at Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta, reminded the audience of the link between humorless officials and a rigid regime.
"A rigid and insensitive regime is usually also one which takes its power too seriously, one which sees power in a narrow way," he said. "So serious is the regime that it's unable to see other things."
He said a regime tends to turn language, the community's most fundamental communication tool, into something "rigid and austere". Something suited only to preserve power.
In such a situation, "it's difficult for a society which is relaxed, patient, happy and loves puns to emerge," he said. "Under such a regime, people will lose their sensitivity to enjoy things which are not usual -- the absurd."
He warned against letting a stoic society grow.
"Surely we don't want a society like the one that existed in Germany under the Nazis, or in Italy under Mussolini, or the former Soviet Union under Stalin...a society which is too serious and intolerant of humor," he argued.
Held by Diponegoro University, the symposium featured State Minister for Population Haryono Suyono and other note figures. The minister said humor should not be used to threaten national unity.
"Humor can be used to laugh at the flaws occurring in development and turn those flaws into cheap jokes," he said. "This is really dangerous. Which is why humor should be separated from the issue (of development)."
He said there are many ways humor can be used to benefit national development. It can be used, for instance, to deliver messages about development which are sometimes difficult to convey.
Haryono was also quoted by Antara as saying that humor can be used to "gift-wrap" important information which is needed to educate the public.
Moderated by Jaya Suprana, who labels himself a "humorologist", Moslem scholars Abdurrahman Wahid and Emha Ainun Nadjib, and psychologists Djamaluddin Ancok, Utami Munandar and Sarlito Wirawan Sarwono also spoke at the meeting.
Jaya Suprana called humor a safety valve to help society let- off steam. Some of the speakers concurred, with Emha saying that "humor is a manifestation of people's effort to avoid repression".
"Humor is a method with which people try to escape pressure," Emha said.
Utami and Sarlito both reminded the audience that humor and laughing are needed to keep a person healthy and able to withstand adversities.
"Humor is an important part of a person's process of recovery from a sickness. It also helps us gain a fresh perspective when we are dealing with difficulties," Utami said.
Abdurrahman, better known as Gus Dur, gave an elaborate concept of humor, calling it a manifestation of people's protest against many things, from the government to sophisticated technology.
"Humor occurs because of a gap existing between those who don't know and those in the know. In this case, it's always the government which is considered the more knowledgeable, while the common people are considered as those who know nothing," said the chairman of the 30-million strong Nahdlatul Ulama Moslem organization.
"What's more important, humor can also be a form of protest against the wrong. Wise people protest something which is not right through humor," he said. (har/swe)