After n-word provocation
Hallervorden: “Woke people don’t understand a satire”
Hallervorden: “Woke people don’t understand a satire”
07.04.2025, 03:39 a.m.
Dieter Hallervorden uses racist words in the ARD on Saturday evening program and harvests the expected outrage. His critics are not able to recognize satire, says the comedian.
After a questionable new edition of his most famous sketch, Dieter Hallervorden rejects allegations of racism on television. “In the absence of courage to get excited about the real grievances, because they are not in fashion, you can get over a comedian who sits on a jail bed and begins a famous sketch with a new text,” said the actor and comedian on request.
Hallervorden had shown his legendary “Palim, Palim!” Sketch in an ARD anniversary show on Saturday evening. Unlike in the original, he used the “N-word” and the “Z-word”-apparently a conscious break in taboo that triggered corresponding reactions among critics and on social media.
The term “n-word” today describes a racist name for blacks that was previously used in Germany. The “Z-word” stands for a name for Sinti and Roma, which was also used earlier in Germany. The Central Council of German Sinti and Roma rejects the word as discriminatory.
In the program “75 years of ARD – The big anniversary show” Hallervorden presented the sketch with his drama partner Harald Effenberg in a stage version of a prison cell presented by Kai Pflaum. Sitting in the bunk bed, Hallervorden’s figure tells the other inmate why he sits: because he used the names for chocolate and sauce of Hungarian. In front of the television audience, HalleVersen expresses those words that are now considered racist or discriminatory. “If I had known that you no longer say that …”, Hallervorden lets his figure say and immediately expresses the two words afterwards.
ARD speaks of exaggeration
The provocation achieved the desired effect: Hallervorden racism is accused on social media. From some sides, however, he also receives praise for his supposedly courageous appearance. Hallervorden defends his appearance as a satire. “Woke people of today trying to dance out of line, all the social media bids meticulously follow in order not to risk likes and no longer understand satire because satire is no longer occurring for fear of misunderstandings,” claims the 89-year-old.
The ARD, which sent the recorded sketch uncut, announced in a statement: “In his role as a prisoner, he addressed the change of language and used terms that are no longer up to date for good reasons – but were deliberately set as a provocation in this satirical context.” The public service broadcaster emphasized that ARD speaks out against every racism and stands for diversity and freedom of art.
