The serious side of humor
Humor Zaman Edan (Humor in a zany era); By Arwah Setiawan; Foreword by Prof. Sudjoko, Ph.D; PT Grasindo, Jakarta, 1997; 512 pp + xxxiii.
JAKARTA (JP): The late professor of Javanese culture Poerbatjaraka once said the highest quality humor is the type filled with laughter, then followed by real thinking.
The quality form reflects the ability to contemplate the content of humor, elicit relevant questions afterwards and prompt the need for self-correction through introspection.
Through this complex definition of sequences, we derive enjoyment.
Such is the nature of humor, an effort which stimulates action and feelings, and a longing for laughter in many forms. These are the thoughts of the late Arwah Setiawan.
This multimedia artist deeply valued the importance of humor. In his hands, its essence is born out of intense research, not from the mere mention of a funny word to prompt gratuitous laughter or complex philosophical analyses.
To Arwah, humor is a working process for self-respect and an independent struggle.
Perhaps his sincere intentions at the Indonesian Humor Institute (LHI) from 1978 to 1995 were not fully completed in conveying his thoughts on local humor. However, his three books on humor serve as a basic creed and become a lesson for all of us.
Two of them -- Humor Indonesia Tahun 2000 Plus (Indonesian Humor in the Year 2000 and Beyond) and Komedi Indonesia Tahun 2000 Plus (Indonesian Comedy in the Year 2000 and Beyond) -- were published earlier, and fill the need for official documentation on quality Indonesian humor books.
The third, Humor Zaman Edan, is an anthology of his writing from Tiara magazine's column "Sembari Minum Kopi" (During Coffee Breaks). His works are filled with the humor that reflects Arwah's heartfelt concerns.
Arwah raised many issues of the day to convey his thoughts and reactions. These ranged from the lighthearted to more serious concepts of the world as a global village. He used language changing in tone from admiration to romantic sadism.
Many of his writings are built within a touching context, but there are others which can infuriate many people. To Arwah, they serve as symbols to produce high hilarity tinged with caricatures of promising messages.
His daring approach in addressing sensitive issues makes his humor unbeatable as it is filled with responsibility in its abstractions. He pictures the cacophony of a meeting of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) and the promotion of cabinet ministers from the President's pocket, an ability which reflects Arwah's own special touch.
Unfortunately, his level of humor is too lofty and complex for many to understand due to use of highly logical skills, a drawback mentioned by Sudjoko in his foreword.
However, there is spontaneous humor which makes readers wonder about the craziness of his ideas. An excerpt of Mendidik Orang Tua (Educating Parents) distorts existing facts and makes his satire more understandable. The laughter that follows is not a result of the slapstick comedy which is all the current rage.
Arwah aims to show hypersensitive conditions surrounding society with an agility to divide the plot of funniness.
He cares deeply about the reader's emotional involvement in his works and is capable of seeking opportunities for the thinking that was considered stagnant, including topics believed difficult for discussion.
In Harmoni, he cites his ability to evoke the reader's reasoning about understanding life at the intersection of Jl. Gajah Mada to the philosophy of harmony in thinking. The end result is that the reader is prompted to think about the social and political life of our times, namely the violence and turbulence surrounding the 1987 general election.
Arwah occasionally takes the reader to a fictitious situation without relinquishing his sense of humor. This situation has excesses, is out of place with distortion of the facts and prompts its own laughter.
He often viewed society as fertile ground for his humor, a view that many circles appreciated. An idea that is considered funny prompts us to understand our own mistakes. The chapter "Masyarakat Konseksual" offers society a bridge to understanding abstract values without losing its value of humor, and that provides a humorous look at the criticism of distorted facts.
The ability to tell a story filled with imaginative objects and subjects can often leave the reader searching for real answers. Arwah writes dialog of his fictitious characters with a shamelessness that is at once wild and ridiculous, a portrayal he would probably view as appropriate to characterize his humor.
-- Chusnanto
The reviewer is a freelancer writer.