WBAI Talk Show Host receives "Commie Call"

-New York City

“Go to Cuba where you belong, you Commie” were the words uttered to host Matthew LaClair this past Sunday during a call-in special on Equal Time for Freethought on WBAI 99.5FM regarding President Obama’s State of the Union Address, leaving some listeners pondering why the caller mentioned Communism.

The call aired live approximately ten minutes from the start of the show, following a discussion between Mr. LaClair and a caller concerning the distrust of politicians expressed by many Americans, in addition to concerns that the accuracy of numerous media sources in the United States is questionable. After the caller made his brief statement, the call disconnected. Mr. LaClair responded with a laugh, stating “Those are the most amusing calls we get, and I (have) to say, it certainly isn’t the first time,” referencing similar calls received by Equal Time for Freethought.

Some listeners thought that Mr. LaClair or his studio engineer had cut the caller’s comment short, thereby not allowing the caller to explain himself further. However, this concern was addressed during the show when a caller stated “I think you should let him talk,” to which Mr. LaClair responded “I agree with you” and continued to explain “We did not cut him off, he hung up the phone.”

Barry Seidman, producer of Equal Time for Freethought, commented after the show regarding the call. “During this show, Mr. LaClair was more centrist than the typical Equal Time for Freethought listener and certainly further away from the left than the average WBAI listener.”

Britney Kaiser, a listener from Sacramento, California echoed a similar feeling. “I have read many definitions of the term communism, and nothing said by him (Mr. LaClair) or any of the other callers had anything to do with communism.” Ms. Kaiser went further to state that “in fact, he at times seemed to be defending capitalism.”

The term Commie references communism as a whole, which the Encyclopedia Britannica defines as “the political and economic doctrine that aims to replace private property and a profit-based economy with public ownership and communal control of at least the major means of production and the natural resources of society.”

While Mr. LaClair could not shed light on the caller’s identity, Mr. Seidman has encountered this caller in the past. “There is a history with this caller. This is a person who has taken the position that WBAI is un-American and anti-Capitalist. Even when we haven’t addressed issues that relate at all to communism, he has called in to make similar statements.”

Equal Time for Freethought’s introduction explains the central theme of the show, which focuses on “Humanism, which is informed by and founded on scientific naturalism.” Issues discussed on the show include education, politics, science and more.

Mr. Seidman, talking about the show in relation to this caller, stated “We’re always interested in discussing different points of view. We want callers who disagree with us to have open dialogue with us, unlike this caller’s actions.”