Syntax
Literate: Jurnal Ilmiah Indonesia p�ISSN: 2541-0849 e-ISSN: 2548-1398
Vol. 7, No.
9, September 2022
USING HUMOR TO NAVIGATE THE
DYNAMICS OF MULTICULTURALISM
IN ANWAR ZAHID�S RELIGIOUS
PREACHINGS
Silvia
Lubaba, Edi Dwi Riyanto
Fakultas Ilmu Budaya, Universitas Airlangga, Indonesia
Email: [email protected], [email protected]
Abstract
Many preachers use jokes or humor in delivering their da'wah (religious preaching). One of the
preachers who often use humor in their religious lectures is Anwar Zahid, a
well-known traditional preacher from Bojonegoro, East
Java. The purpose of this study is to reveal the humor techniques used by Anwar
Zahid in his two lectures on Youtube. The analysis is
based on Arthur Asa Berger's humor theory. The results showed that Anwar Zahid
used several humor techniques in his religious preachings
such as Bombast, Catalog, Coincidence, and others. Humor is also an effort to
navigate the dynamics and various changes in multiculturalism that occur in
society. In addition, the humor serves to release the tension of the audience.
Keywords: Humor, Religious Talks, Anwar Zahid
Introduction
Multiculturalism
is defined as an ideology that recognizes and glorifies differences (Zarbaliyev, 2017);
(Benet-Mart�nez, 2012).
Multiculturalism is also understood as an ideological concept that is seen as
an attempt to create social relations between certain groups to build a level
of equality and social justice (2007, p. 111). This concept is important
considering that in one country, diversity often exists and sometimes even
divides unity.
The
issue of multiculturalism in America, for example, gave rise to two major
theories: the Melting Pot Theory and the Salad Bowl Theory. Both imply the
integration of various cultures into a single society. America is often the
destination of many people to just visit or even stay. The impact is the
diversity of cultures that developed there. The Washington Post published an
article entitled 'the American Tradition of Multiculturalism', reviewing how
Americans see multiculturalism which tends to lead to something positive.
Nevertheless, multiculturalism was 'rejected' for some time despite black
Americans� long struggle to gain political recognition.
In
Indonesia, multiculturalism is an issue that cannot be avoided. Simply put, this
is because of the diversity of ethnic groups, languages, and religions in
Indonesia. All of them can be a 'field' of differences and lead to conflicts
due to multiculturalism. Relations between ethnicities and cultures are not
always well established because of sharp differences that allow conflict to
occur. For example, in Indonesia, there had been a major conflict between the
Madurese and Dayak tribes known as the 'Sampit
Event'. Approximately 600 people died as a result of this incident. Besides inter-ethnic
conflicts, a conflict as a result of multiculturalism occurs between the two
largest Islamic religious organizations in Indonesia: Nahdlatul
Ulama and Muhammadiyah.� It means that
multiculturalism conflict is very likely to occur within one large group, in
this case, the religion of Islam.
Da'wah
is an activity to communicate divine truth (Islam) to others (Dermawan, 2002).
Da'wah (preaching) is defined as an activity that conveys a religious lecture
and a series of delivery of divine messages to many people. It means that
preaching is one way to influence the audience. In other words, the task of a
preacher is to make his words influential to his audience who may come from
various backgrounds. Therefore the preacher must be
able to make his lectures accepted by different audiences.
In
preaching, sometimes preachers often use humor for several reasons. One of
which is to make the information conveyed can be easily accepted by the
audience. In addition, humor is also a means to reduce tensions that may arise
during the process of delivering information (Aziz, 2015).
Therefore, humor is important because it can trigger laughter, benefiting human
health, especially mental health. (Soedjatmiko, 1992)
argues that all humans in the world must have had humor. (Hooke, 2012)
reveals that humor in preaching is a necessity even though sometimes it does
not relate to the content of the preaching. Humor can also make religious
preaching be enjoyed with laughter. Humor is also considered to help bridge the
awkward moments that may arise during preaching. Therefore, humor is often
'brought in' by many speakers in their preaching.
However,
Javanese culture requires Javanese people to maintain etiquette (Riyanto, 2017),
reflected in three levels of Javanese language: ngoko
(rough), medium (madya), and subtle (krama) (Riyanto 2016). According to (Riyanto, 2017),
one of the methods used to penetrate the barriers regulated in etiquette is the
reverse language technique (walikan). Humor can also
be seen as a way to break through the barriers of etiquette that apply.
One
of the preachers who often includes humor in his lectures is Anwar Zahid, a
Javanese preacher from Bojonegoro, East Java. He is a
kyai who is famous for fresh humor in his preaching. For his preaching to be
well received by the audience, he often connects humor with various social
dynamics, including multiculturalism. His audience is not limited to one group
but has a wider range, from those with high strata to the lower middle class.
This is because Anwar Zahid often conducts his preaching in rural areas.
Especially in the current era where the Youtube
platform plays a crucial role in disseminating lectures, Anwar Zahid indirectly
has more opportunities to reach all circles. This makes him one of the most
prominent Javanese preachers in Islamic lectures.
Anwar
Zahid�s preaching had been the focus of some research. One of which was carried
out by (Fadilah, 2019).
She focused on the analysis of Yule's speech acts on Anwar Zahid's preachings. She found out that the three speech acts
(locution, illocution, and perlocution) were present in Anwar Zahid's lectures.
Meanwhile, (Rahayuningsih, 2013)
reviewed the representative speech acts of Anwar Zahid in his lectures on Youtube. The results of their research showed that Anwar
Zahid delivered his preaching with a specific tone and intonation and used the
right moment for humor so that the audience responded with laughter.
This
current research is different from the previous studies because it investigates
how a religious preacher uses humor to deliver sensitive messages in his
preaching. Besides, it also reveals how humor is used to navigate the dynamics
of multiculturalism that exists in society. A preacher might use humor to
defuse conflicts that may exist when sensitive themes are discussed. Meaningful
jokes are expected to invite the audience to 'negotiate' and then accept the
existing dynamics.
Research
Method
The data used in this research
were utterances containing humor (114 utterances) in the lecture videos from
Anwar Zahid on the Youtube platform. Two videos are
used as data sources. The videos were chosen because the preachings
were carried out when he was not yet famous. That means the religious lectures
analyzed have a clear significance as the initial basis for how Anwar Zahid
uses humor in his lectures to date.
Data were collected using
non-participant observation techniques (Moleong, 2013).
The following are the steps taken in conducting data collection. (a) Watching
Anwar Zahid�s lecturing videos in the "Imam Murod"
channel on Youtube, (b) Marking utterances containing
humor in the lecture, (c) Categorizing humor in accordance with their
techniques and dimensions. The collected data were then analyzed by relating it
to the dynamics of multiculturalism that exist in the community situation
Result And Discussion
Results
In
this section, the humor techniques used in Anwar Zahid's religious preaching is
described. The theory used as the basis for the analysis is the theory of humor
techniques proposed by (Berger, 2012).
The results of the analysis are described in the table below.
Table
1
Humor technique: Language
|
No. |
Video |
Humor techniques |
Number |
Percentage (%) |
|
1. |
Video 1: V 1 dan Video 2: V 2 |
Allusion |
6 |
5.2 % |
|
Bombast |
3 |
2.6 % |
||
|
Irony |
7 |
6.1 % |
||
|
Puns, Word Play |
9 |
7.8 % |
||
|
Satire |
10 |
8.7 % |
||
|
Ridicule |
4 |
3.5 % |
||
|
Exaggeration |
4 |
3.5 % |
||
|
Facetiousness |
2 |
1.7 % |
||
|
Sarcasm |
18 |
15.7 % |
Table
1 shows the humor techniques used by Anwar Zahid in his two religious preachings. In his preachings,
Anwar Zahid used nine types of humor techniques: Bombast, Irony, Puns / Word
Play, Satire, Ridicule, Allusion, Exaggeration, Facetiousness, and Sarcasm. Of
the nine humor techniques, Sarcasm was the most frequently used (15.7%). In this
case, Sarcasm is used to quip sharply. One example is when Anwar Zahid
satirized two major Islamic groups, namely Nahdlatul
Ulama and Muhammadiyah, which often disagreed about a problem. Such a theme, of
course, is sensitive for many people, so Anwar Zahid chose to use humor to
discuss this.
Table
2
Humor technique: Logic
|
No. |
Video |
Humor technique |
Number |
Percentage(%) |
|
1. |
Video 1 (V 1) and Video 2 (V 2) |
Comparison |
7 |
6.1 % |
|
Catalogue |
13 |
11.4 % |
||
|
Coincidence |
13 |
11.4 % |
||
|
Disappointment |
1 |
0.8 % |
Table 2 describes the
'logic' humor technique used by Anwar Zahid in his two preachings. Of 12
techniques described by (Berger, 2012),
four 'logic' techniques were used, namely Comparison, Catalog, Coincidence, and
Disappointment. Catalog and Coincidence were the most frequently used (11.4%).
A catalog is an inappropriate use of terms to refer to something. For example,
the word 'imam' (leader), which usually has a positive
meaning, is used to refer to the negative thing �ngimami kopek� which
means the 'imam' (leader) of gambling. Meanwhile,
Coincidence is an unexpected thing that happens and then becomes a joke, for
example when Anwar Zahid referred to two cameramen and connected them with a
lecture about one's destiny.
Table
3
Humor technique: Identity
|
No. |
Video |
Humor techniques |
Number |
Percentage (%) |
|
1. |
Video 1 (V 1) and Video 2 (V 2) |
Burlesque |
6 |
5.2 % |
|
Exposure |
10 |
8.7 % |
Table 3 describes the
'identity' humor technique used by Anwar Zahid in his two preachings.
In this case, two techniques were used: Burlesque and Exposure. Of the two
techniques, Exposure was the most frequently used (8.7%). One example of the
application of the Exposure technique is when Anwar Zahid told
about himself who had been slandered to have an accident and died. In this
case, Anwar Zahid joked by saying that the news reached neighboring countries
where he had many fans in those countries. In addition, he also told, with
humor, about himself who had studied in Mecca.
Table 4
Humor
technique: Action
|
No. |
Video |
Humor
technique |
Number |
Percentage (%) |
|
1. |
Video
1 (V 1) and Video
2 (V 2) |
Speed |
1 |
0.8% |
Table 4 describes the 'action' humor technique in the two preachings. In this technique, only the humorous technique
'Speed' is found. This technique can be seen when he has a term that is
abbreviated as P36 � pergi pagi pulang petang
poyang payingan pontang panting pantat panas pinggang pegal perut perih
pala pusing peringas peringis pendelak pendelik pelirak pelirik plorak plorok penculat
penculot pletak pletik penghasilan pas pasan pengeluaran pol polan potongan pirang pirang. The words were
spoken quickly which reflects the speed in speaking and thinking. The audience
who heard the term laughed out loud and enjoyed the preaching that was being
followed.
Discussion
The results of the analysis show that in his preaching, Anwar Zahid
often uses humor as a powerful medium to convey religious messages. Humor
techniques are very helpful in making the preaching of Anwar Zahid iconic and
easy to remember by many people. This is evident from his various preachings which have been watched by hundreds of thousands
and even millions of viewers on Youtube. In addition,
his jargon "kulhu ae lek, kesuwen" has become iconic and is widely used by
people referring to a situation where easy or fast things are more desirable
than difficult things. Such jargon is a sign that humor can be a convincing
tool as a way of preaching because the jargon "kulhu
ae lek, kesuwen" itself was later used by
listeners of Anwar Zahid is used in everyday life.
Based on (Berger, 2012)
techniques, the 'language' technique is the most widely used because this
technique refers to the use of language in delivering humor. In this case, the
Sarcasm dimension is the most commonly found. Sarcasm is making sharp satire.
In his preaching, Anwar Zahid satirized a lot of dynamics of multiculturalism
in society. One example is when he mentioned the two largest Islamic
organizations in Indonesia: Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and
Muhammadiyah. The differences that occur between these two organizations are
often a very sensitive discussion in society. In his preaching, Anwar Zahid
alluded to some differences in the NU and Muhammadiyah organizations which are
actually not too many and have the same foundation, namely Ahlussunah Wal Jamaah. Some
of his statements are as follows.
�Wong NU karo Muhammadiyah itu
sebenarnya dalam soal akidah sama,
tidak ada perbedaan, sama sama Ahlussunah Wal Jammah. Perbedaannya kan hanya dalam
tata cara pelaksanaan syari�at dan tipis saja kok. Kalo soal
akidah tidak ada yang menyimpang.....�
�lha
nek, maaf. NU sama Muhammadiyah
itu bedane tipis kok.nek NU atek nggawe, nk Muhammadiyah gak atek nggawe. Dulur
NU seneng seng rodok dowo, dulur
Muhammadiyah seneng seng ndek (pendek)...�
(�NU and Muhammadiyah people are the same in terms of creed, there is no
difference, they are the same as Ahlussunah
Wal Jammah. The difference is only in the
procedure for implementing the Shari'ah and it's only
a thin one. In matters of faith, there is nothing to deviate..."
"Sorry to say. The difference between NU and Muhammadiyah is thin.
If NU wants to make it, Muhammadiyah doesn't want to do it. NU people like long
ones, while Muhammadiyah people like short ones��)
He conveyed the differences in very simple language even with
light jokes. The audience responded well and still got the gist of what was
being said. In fact, the difference between NU and Muhammadiyah is often sharp
and becomes a daily debate, and even triggers a prolonged conflict. However,
with good delivery, this can be avoided. Anwar Zahid also invited the audience
to tolerate each other and see similarities amid multiculturalism in Indonesian
society.
In this case, Anwar Zahid used humor with a sarcasm dimension that
sharply satirized the conflicts that often occur between the two organizations.
Jean Harvey (in Tapley, 2006, p. 421) explains that humor can essentially be
understood as a social behavior that occurs in a group with diverse social
statuses. This is in line with what was done by Anwar Zahid who brings humor in
his efforts to speak in front of many different people. That way, the audience
can receive well what is conveyed. To convey sensitive matters, Anwar Zahid
tried to convey them with humor. When viewed further, the preacher is
negotiating with the listener, so that sensitive and conflicting messages can
still be received by those who listen.
The use of sarcasm does not always mean 'insulting'. This is because he
conveyed it in a 'joking' tone which later became one of the ways to navigate
the existing dynamics of multiculturalism. Moreover, the lecture was conducted
in front of lower to middle-class people. To make it easier to accept, humor
was chosen. Although sarcasm is synonymous with statements sharply made by
someone to insinuate and often result in hurt, "Sarcasm is the lowest form
of wit but the highest form of intelligence" (a quote by Oscar Wilde).
This means that a person's sarcasm could be a manifestation of someone's
intelligence, which in this context is used to navigate the dynamics of
multiculturalism.
In the 'logic' humor technique, Anwar Zahid mostly used the dimensions
of Catalog and Coincidence. The catalog is an inappropriate use of the term, as
in the use of the terms bajing 'squirrel'
and codot 'big bat' to describe greedy
humans. In addition, Anwar Zahid also used the term 'imam' which is usually
synonymous with a leader in a positive sense, but he used it negatively
instead, as in the term 'ngimami kopek' or 'to be the
imam of a gamble'. The use of catalog dimension can provoke laughter from the
audience and create entertaining humor. Some of the terms used feel familiar to
the audience and can be accepted because these terms are often heard in
everyday life but are not used properly.
The dimension of the 'Coincidence' technique is also widely used during
religious lectures. Coincidence means an unexpected event. Several
'coincidental' events happened and later became humorous. For example, Anwar
Zahid explained that people who have been destined to be fat, will remain fat;
and those who have been destined to be thin will remain thin, no matter how
many meals they eat. He gave an example of two cameramen who were at the
lecture venue. This incident was unexpected and led to some embarrassment for
the two cameramen. �....mbok
mangan peng pitu yo kuru, contone
koyo tukang soting seng kuwi,
lha nk ancen
pawak.an lemu mbok mangane ra patek
akeh, yo lemu, contone tukang
soting seng tengah wi� ('...even
though you eat seven times, you will be still skinny, like that cameraman. If
you have been destined to be 'fat' even if you don't eat too much, you will be
still fat. Like the cameraman in the middle...)
In this case, 'coincidentally' there were two cameramen who later became
the object of the joke. Anwar Zahid uses humor to 'teach' his listeners about
many things. Kaplan and Pascoe in Osborne (2019, p. 147) explain that humor can
be used for lectures in two contexts. First, humor can be used to explain
things related to the content of a lecture; second, the use of humor has no
relationship with the content of the lecture. From this statement, it can be seen
that he used humor to convey the contents of his preaching and not just for
entertainment. This happens to make the content of his lectures acceptable to
audiences who may come from various circles. Anwar Zahid uses the Coincidence
dimension to describe a person's situation in different societies, in this
case, related to different financial circumstances from one person to another.
If this is conveyed directly, without humor, it can offend the people who are
in the situation. Therefore, KH. Anwar Zahid then connected his preaching with
an incident that happened at that time by chance and at the same time delivered
da'wah with humor to make it more acceptable to the audience.
In the 'identity' technique, Anwar Zahid most often brings up the
Exposure dimension. This dimension refers to the exposure to oneself. For
example, Anwar Zahid spoke about rumors about him who reportedly had an accident
and died. Related to the dimensions of Exposure, Anwar Zahid is doing what
Arthurs and Gurevich call self-disclosure which means
expressing personal feelings, values , and experiences while
communicating humor (2000, p. 215). The aim is to negotiate that the community
will respond to the rumors without over-worrying. With the humor that is
uttered, the community captures the existing dynamics without tension.
The last technique used is 'action' with the speed dimension. This
technique is used when he talks about how sometimes a person works very hard
but his life does not change significantly. Viewed from the side of the
dynamics of multiculturalism in Indonesia, it is certainly related to the rise
of hoaxes. The preacher makes jokes by connecting it and mentioning what
happened. With the humor uttered, the community captures the existing dynamics
without tension.
Through humor, Anwar Zahid is trying to direct listeners to accept
multiculturalism in society for simple things such as differences in class and
personal status because of their financial ability. Davis in Aloh revealed that humor works well if it is intended to
break down barriers or barriers in the social world and seeks to create bridges
that can reduce tension in it (2019, p. 06). Anwar Zahid managed to use humor
to reduce the tension that may arise amid his audience with different
backgrounds. This also strengthens the statement that humor exists as a
person's attempt to release tension that may occur (Christoff & Dauphin,
2017). Several other things were also highlighted by Anwar Zahid related to the
problems that exist in the dynamics of multiculturalism in society is polygamy.
As a form of existing multiculturalism, polygamy is a 'view' that does exist in
Indonesia. Although coming from Islam, its adherents do not always agree with
the idea of polygamy. To get around this, which does have
tension, he tried to convey it with humor to reduce the existing conflict.
Anwar Zahid chose to navigate his audience with humor to unravel the tensions
that might arise as a result of the dynamics of multiculturalism that developed
in society (Apte, 1987, p. 34). It can be understood
that humor can be a good way because people will try to accept and adapt to the
essence of a preacher's lecture. In this case, the jokes are a way to convey
sensitive messages to be received without tension. Indirectly, Anwar Zahid used
humor to navigate the dynamics of multiculturalism that exist in society so
that his messages can be accepted smoothly by audiences from various
backgrounds.
Conclusion
The results of the study show that humor in religious lectures is needed
to make the religious yet sensitive messages be easily accepted and enjoyed by
the audience. In addition, humor can also be used as a tool to navigate the
various dynamics of multiculturalism that exist in society. The dynamics of
multiculturalism in society are diverse. Therefore, for the essence of the
lecture to be accepted, certain tips are needed, including using humor.
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|
Silvia Lubaba,
Edi Dwi Riyanto (2022) |
|
First publication right: Syntax Literate:
Jurnal Ilmiah Indonesia |
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