Argumentation and Social Critique of Education in Indonesian Stand-up Comedy Discourse “Pahlawan Perlu Tanda Jasa”

Background/Purpose. Indonesian Stand-up Comedy (SUCI) Comics use comedy to articulate concerns on societal issues, hence offering social critique. Abdurrahim Arsyad presented a social critique regarding schooling at the special program “Pahlawan Perlu Tanda Jasa 'Heroes Need Honors' (HNH)". An effective SUCI encompasses the comedians' perspectives on the topics under consideration. The framework of social critique within the SUCI HNH discourse articulates arguments about the claims Abdur made. This research addresses the sorts of educational, social criticism, the quality of arguments, and the patterns of expressing social criticism within the SUCI HNH discourse.

Materials/methods. The research methodology employs a qualitative framework utilizing critical discourse analysis. The data for this study comprises the SUCI HNH recordings. The data gathering employed the free listening technique with conversational engagement. This research employs Van Dijk's Critical Discourse Analysis, elucidating the power dynamics inherent in language across the domains of text, social cognition, and social analysis.

Results. This research results in a form of social critique regarding education, focusing on the privileging of Mathematics, the elimination of the National Examination, the introduction of the Independent Curriculum, the cessation of rankings, and the welfare of teachers. The arguments in the SUCI HNH discourse are typically of middling quality, with 3-4 supporting parts. The framework for articulating social criticism through hilarious language in HNH discourse encompasses phonological, syntactic, semantic, and discourse patterns.

Conclusion. The greater the popularity of the theme of social critique, the superior the quality of the arguments. The more personal a social issue under discussion, the greater the quality of the argument.

Keywords: Argumentation, humorous language, Indonesian stand-up comedy, societal critique

References

Adekunle, I. J. (2022). Humour of religious satire and linguistic dexterity of Nigerian stand-up comedy [Article]. European Journal of Humour Research, 10(1), 76-87. https://doi.org/10.7592/EJHR2022.10.1.611

Al-Shalabi, N. (2024). The Rhetoric of Argumentation in AlHamadhanìs Harzi Maqāmāh. Dirasat: Human and Social Sciences, 51(3), 555-564. https://doi.org/10.35516/hum.v51i3.2

Apte, M. (2002). Humor and Laughter: An Anthropological Approach (4th edition). Cornell University Press.

Attardo, S. (1994). Linguistic Theories of Humor. Mouton de Gruyter.

Beilharz, P. (2002). Teori-teori Sosial: Observasi Kritis terhadap Para Filosof Terkemuka. Pustaka Pelajar.

Bennett, K. E. (2023). The Refractive Comic: Nanette and Comedy From Inside Identity [Article]. Television and New Media, 24(2), 139-155. https://doi.org/10.1177/15274764221093600

Berger, A. (1998). An Anatomy of Humor. Transaction Publishers.

Borjabad, S. A. F., & Clemente, P. G. (2022). Islam and its perception in political cartoons. Anaquel de Estudios Arabes, 33, 175-198. https://doi.org/10.5209/anqe.73274

Crystal, D. (1998). Language Play. The University of Chicago Press.

Ebbinghaus, M., & Huang, S. (2022). Institutional Consequences of the Black Lives Matter Movement: Towards Diversity in Elite Education. Political Studies Review. https://doi.org/10.1177/14789299221132428

Eriyanto. (2015). Analisis Wacana: Pengantar Teks Media (9 ed.). PT LKIS Printing Cemerlang.

Francisco, W. E., de Albuquerque, T. C. C., dos Santos Costa, B. L., & Gomes, R. L. (2023). Science by means of memes? Meanings of Covid-19 in Brazil based on Instagram posts. Journal of Science Communication, 22(4). https://doi.org/10.22323/2.22040203

Gibson, A. (2008). Just Above the Fray-Interpretive Social Criticism and the Ends of Social Justice. Studies in Social Justice, 2(1). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.26522/ssj.v2i1.970

Ho, M. T., Progler, J., & Vuong, Q. H. (2021). An Anatomy of Satirical Cartoons in Contemporary Vietnam: Political Communication and Representations of Systemic Corruption in a One-party State. Asian Studies Review, 45(4), 711-728. https://doi.org/10.1080/10357823.2021.1932743

Ibrahim, N., Ramadhani, A., & Baadilla, I. (2024). Quality of Arguments in Youtubers’ Talks. Dirasat: Human and Social Sciences, 51(3), 120-130. https://doi.org/10.35516/hum.v51i3.1

Loukola, S., Matikainen-Soreau, M., Holm, G., & Hummelstedt, I. (2025). Racial humour in Finnish schools: reinforcing and resisting racism, and the difficulty of intervening [Article]. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/09518398.2025.2470928

Martin, R. A. (2007). The psychology of humor: An integrative approach. Elsevier Academic Press.

Mashakbeh, A., Issa, Y., Al-Athari, T., & Al-Rahahleh, E. (2022). Performance Approach between Theatrical Improvisation and the Ceremony of Iraqi Clannish Segregation. Dirasat: Human and Social Sciences, 49(6), 81-90. https://doi.org/10.35516/hum.v49i6

Nakrowi, Z. S., & Mulyati, Y. (2021). Evaluasi Kualitas Argumen pada Artikel Jurnal. Litera, 20(1). https://doi.org/10.21831/ltr.v20i1.34287

Ngai, C. S. B., Singh, R. G., Huang, Y., Ho, J. W. Y., Khong, M. L., Chan, E., Lau, T. C. K., Chan, H. Y. E., Wong, W. T., Law, M. S. M., & Koon, A. C. (2025). Development of a systematic humor pedagogical framework to enhance student learning outcomes across different disciplines in Hong Kong [Article]. International Journal of Educational Research Open, 8, Article 100438. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedro.2025.100438

Papana, R. (2016). Buku Besar: Stand-Up Comedy Indonesia. PT Elex Media Komputindo.

Papana, R. (2020). Kiat Tahap Awal Belajar Stand Up Comedy Indonesia-Kitab Suci. Mediakata.

Pragiwaksono, P., & Fakhri, U. (2022). Pecahkan: Belajar Stand-up Comedy dari Joke Pertama Sampai Job Pertama. Wongsoyudan Pratama Indonesia.

Rahadi, K. (2011). Humor Ada Teorinya Bahasa dan Gaya Melawak. Pinus Book Publisher.

Raskin, V. (1985). Semantic Mechanism of Humor. D. Dreidel Publishing Company.

Renkema, J., & Schubert, C. (2018). Introduction to Discourse Studies. John Benjamins Publishing Company.

Saptaningsih, N., & Sari, V. P. (2015). Kritik sosial dalam humor Stand Up Comedy episode “Kita Indonesia”(kajian pragmatik). Prasasti: Conference Series, Surakarta.

Schwarz, J. (2010). Linguistic Aspects of Verbal Humor in Stand-up Comedy. P. F. Universität des Saarlandes.

Sudaryanto. (2015). Metode dan Aneka Teknik Analisis Bahasa. Universitas Sanata Dharma.

Van Dijk, T. A. (1996). Discourse, Cognition and Society. Discourse & Society, 7(1), 5-6. https://doi.org/10.1177/0957926596007001001

Wijana, I. D. P. (2004). Kartun: Studi tentang Permainan Bahasa. Penerbit Ombak.

Wijana, I. D. P. (2014). Wacana Teka-teki. A.Com Adversiting.

Yuniawan, T. (2005). Teknik Penciptaan Asosiasi Pornografi dalam Wacana Humor Bahasa Indonesia. Humaniora, 17(3), 285-292. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.22146/jh.853

Zhou, W., & Lee, J. C. (2025). Teaching and learning with instructional humor: a review of five-decades research and further direction [Review]. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, Article 1445362. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1445362

Announcement

EDUPIJ Citation Metrics

EDUPIJ News!

► Educational Process International Journal has changed to publish in article number order instead of in page range order beginning with Volume 14 (2025).