That's so jayus

The case for goofy.

JAYUS [Indonesian]

What’s your favorite movie?

I always scan my brain for a clever answer when someone asks this question. The Graduate or Mean Streets or Chinatown. The logical part of my brain knows that these are powerful and respectable films.

The less rational side of my brain, however, can’t help but answer: DUMB AND DUMBER. ABSOLUTELY DUMB AND DUMBER. YEP, THE GREATEST FILM OF ALL TIME. 

The truth is, Dumb and Dumber might not be my favorite movie, but I can pretty much guarantee that it’s the movie I’ve seen the most. As a kid, I watched it so many times that I had every line memorized. My favorite being, “We’ve got no food, we’ve got no jobs…our pets heads are falling off!”

Dumb and Dumber is not powerful or important or even particularly clever. It’s just a movie that’s so stupid, it’s hilarious. 

There’s an Indonesian slang word for this: Jayus. It describes a joke that’s so unfunny, you can’t help but laugh at it. Like when Jim Carrey jumps around in a ridiculous orange tuxedo.  Jayus describes a type of humor that’s so goofy it doesn’t have a punchline. It’s meaningless, and you can’t help but laugh at its absurdity. As one translation source describes it:

“Jayus is a Indonesian word that describes a joke so bad that it’s funny. Jayus jokes are often nonsensical, making them difficult to understand. However, the humor in a jayus joke comes from the delivery and the reaction of the audience.”

The idea of Jayus sort of reminds me of a Camus quote about life being meaningless and only enjoyable if you can recognize its meaninglessness. Or, as Lloyd Christmas says, what the hell are we doing here, Harry?

What’s new?

• A newsletter reader sent me this TED Talk with Elizabeth Gilbert describing creativity.
  

• I really enjoyed reading this piece by Michael Laing on the persistent problem of consciousness. He describes an epiphany that the astronaut Edgar Mitchell had upon seeing Earth from space. Researchers have studied this phenomenon specifically among astronauts and given a name to their experience: the Overview effect.
  

• Before he was Childish Gambino, Donald Glover was in a sketch comedy troupe called Derrick Comedy. In the spirit of Jayus, above is a clip from their movie, Mystery Team.
  

 — Kristin