Carl Josef rolls through the emergency exit. Otherwise the 16-year-old comedian cannot get into the climbing hall, because it is not barrier-free, no chance for the boy in a wheelchair. He doesn’t go bouldering himself in the hall, instead he has an appointment with Emily and Konrad. They are 13 and 14 years old, both love climbing – but only Konrad lives with a disability. Carl Josef brings the two together, chats with them – and wants to “break prejudices and break down barriers” among the young viewers, he says.
In his first own broadcast Carl Josef meets … the young comedian fights for a respectful, yet relaxed approach to handicapped people in everyday life. With the mission to approach the subject of disability in a humorous way, Carl Josef finally became known: It was two years ago that the video of his appearance in a Berlin club went viral. He made his own handicap the subject of the hereditary disease muscular dystrophy Duchenne, because of which he has been dependent on a wheelchair for about six years. “The first joke is comparable to me,” he started back then. “It has to be right.” His appearance continued in a similarly self-deprecating manner. This was followed by a lot of encouragement from the comedy scene and appearances in major television programs – before he now presented his own. In Carl Josef meets … However, his gags are less in demand than the ability to maintain conversations with people who are almost the same age. A challenge that the newcomer masters with astonishing ease.
Is the word “disabled” actually okay? The informal conversation about such questions is the show’s great strength
Just through its moderation, the show cleverly presents itself not as one about young people with disabilities, but as one with them. In the climbing episode, Konrad only remains Konrad, who likes to play the piano and is with the boy scouts. Only later, when the young people start talking, does it come to his cannula, which he has been wearing on his neck for a few months after his birth. “I can be without a cannula, but when I want to sleep, the lid of my throat closes and I can’t breathe,” he says, and adds dryly: “That would be a bit stupid now.” The saying could also have been from Carl Josef, who prefers to ask the questions here. By the way, Konrad can still climb, outside and inside, and he has no disadvantage compared to the non-disabled Emily.
The fact that Carl Josef also invites young people without disabilities turns out to be a great strength of the format, which is intended for children and young people. This is how conversations come about that can be of real help to the young audience when they deal with handicapped people in everyday life. For example, Emily says that the word “disabled” is used as a dirty word, which is why she speaks of “impairment”. Carl Josef praises them for their caution, but makes it clear that the words are very different for him: impairments are, for example, broken limbs, people with disabilities are affected for a long time or even forever. A program that does not teach from above, but allows exchange, makes sense on all levels – and has found the ideal host in Carl Josef.
Carl Josef meets …, Saturdays, 8.15 a.m., in the first, all previous episodes in the ARD media library.