By Tanja May and Michael Niehus
In November last year, Anna-Carina Woitschack separated from her husband Stefan Mross after six years of love. Now the singer has problems again.
The comedian Christian K.* described her on his Facebook page as a “pop singer”, “hit mattress” and an artist who could only have made it by “spreading your legs”.
Too much for Woitschack. “I can handle constructive criticism very well, even if people don’t like me or my music. Insults or threats are still a no-go,” she says to BILD am SONNTAG.
“These are sexist statements. It’s lies that he spreads every day.” The singer handed the matter over to her lawyer and sued the comedian for injunctive relief. This is hidden behind the term “satire”.
But how far can it go? “It’s a fine line between satire and insult,” says Professor Dr. Jo Groebel.
Satire is characterized by three things. “Firstly, it has several levels, secondly, it has to be intelligent and thirdly, it prefers to target someone who is in a position of power. All of that is not fulfilled here.”
“Schlagermatratze” is without question a swear word, and that too in an unfavorable and not satirical tradition. “There used to be the misogynist term ‘officer’s mattress’, which was both an insult and a swear word,” says Groebel.
“I can understand that Anna-Carina Woitschack is going too far. And he doesn’t break a jab when he thinks about it again and apologizes. The limit of satire is when it becomes personally offensive and uses derogatory swear words.”
Katja Krasavice on the red carpet at a TV fundraising gala Photo: dpa
Despite the #MeToo debate, sexism is still widespread. Comedians like Mario Barth or Serdar Somuncu are regularly accused. Thomas Gottschalk heated tempers because he asked colleague Michelle Hunziker: “Miss, you can clear it up!”
And Dieter Bohlen caused a scandal when he asked a DSDS candidate if she had done anything else after graduating from high school, apart from letting herself “get through”. For Groebel clear insults.
This week the first appointment in the trial between Anna-Carina Woitschack and Christian K. should take place at the Hanover Regional Court. But the burst because he came without a lawyer. There is no new date yet. K. wants to reach an agreement out of court, so he wants to speak to Woitschack personally. However, she refuses.
*BZ does not write the comedian’s full name to avoid giving him further attention.