OTTAWA – "Disparaging, insulting and abusive," is how the CRTC described comments made by radio host Doc Mailloux during two broadcasts in September of 2003 and February of 2004 on Montreal talk radio station CKAC AM 730.
CKAC was owned by Astral Media at the time, but has since been purchased by Corus Entertainment.
Usually, the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council handles complaints about Canadian broadcasters and the offensive stuff they sometimes say and show on air, but this time, the Centre for Research-Action on Race Relations (CRARR) wanted the Commission to deal with statements Mailloux made on air that it believed were blatantly racist.
Here’s a portion of the translated transcript of the segment between Pierre (Doc) Mailloux and host Paul Arcand from September 2003. The full transcript can be found here.
Mailloux: I don’t think this is the case in Canada – but in certain parts of the U.S., because of Black crime. You know, we have to remember that in the U.S., one out of two criminals, 50% of criminals, are Blacks; whereas only 12% of the population is Black. Crime is much higher among American Blacks than other groups.
Arcand: Doc, it’s because it also comes from poverty. When you live in poor surroundings, you may be more tempted to go towards a form of criminality.
Mailloux: No. It’s because there is a group problem amongst Blacks. Black men are a lot less valiant than other groups. So it would be an advantage – I’m not saying that all Blacks are lazy – that’s not what I’m saying. But there is a laziness problem among Black men. Black women are a lot more valiant.
“The Commission finds that Doc Mailloux’s comments about the intelligence and characteristics of Black persons are disparaging, insulting and abusive within the meaning of section 3(b) of the Regulations,” says the Commission’s decision on the September 2003 broadcast, made public today.
“The context in which the comments were uttered makes the matter all the more serious because the program in question was a morning public affairs program, on which a reasonable listener can expect that the topics of discussion will be serious. For that reason, a listener might take exchanges of this kind quite seriously and give them more credibility than he or she would if they took place in a different context.
“Moreover, Doc Mailloux says that his comments are based on reality and studies, even though no scientific basis justifies such statements. These comments encourage racism by trying to justify stereotypes that are unflattering, belittling and harmful. They are the kind of comments that are likely to expose Black persons to contempt,” says the Commission.
The February 2004 complaint is about a broadcast which happened right after that year’s Super Bowl. We bet you don’t remember the teams or the score, but it’s likely readers remember all about the halftime show, featuring a prominent piece of Janet Jackson’s body.
“The discussion starts with an allusion to ‘Janet’s breast’ and a comment by Doc Mailloux that the Jacksons are manipulative and ready to do anything to sell CDs,” reads the Commission’s decision, which summarizes his following comments below:
“Doc Mailloux says that the Jacksons are [translation] ‘not well educated’ and ‘still believe they are in a tribe in Africa.’ He thinks that someone should tell them, [translation] ‘listen, you are in America, learn how to live a little.’ He also says, among other things, [translation] ‘they don’t know how to live! They live like an African tribe. You know, in Africa, when you want to shake your crotch, you do it.’ The host, Mr. Arcand, tries to temper these statements by saying that he thinks this behaviour is part of show business, and it is not about Africa. Doc Mailloux reacts by asking, [translation] ‘Would a civilized White do that?’
“When Mr. Arcand gives the example of Madonna and Britney Spears kissing during a program, Doc Mailloux replies that the singers kissed to demonstrate their affection.”
The Commission said that it considers Mailloux’s comments to be “disparaging and insulting to Blacks,” in this instance as well. “While Doc Mailloux spent the majority of the show talking about the behaviour of show business personalities like the Jacksons, Madonna and Britney Spears, he focused on the Jacksons and made comments about their conduct that he then generalized to include all Blacks. The comments about White pop stars Britney Spears and Madonna, in contrast, were not based on racial characteristics,” says the decision.
“…Moreover, the comments were central to the discussion, not an incidental remark in an otherwise appropriate exchange. The Commission also notes that the licensee has acknowledged that the comments were racist,” it adds.
“For these reasons, the Commission finds that the comments made by Doc Mailloux during the 3 February 2004 broadcast, which were generalized to include all Blacks, constitute abusive comments that, when taken in context, tend or are likely to expose Black persons to contempt on the basis of race or ethnic origin. Consequently, the Commission finds that these comments contravene section 3(b) of the Regulations.”
This is not the only racial knock Mailloux has faced this year. The CBSC issued a decision in February of 2005 rebuking the host for similar commentary where Mailloux, in talking about immigration policy, said [translation]:
“Ah, yes, as far as that is concerned, and to those who want immigration I say open Quebec’s doors to Scandinavians, Western Europeans, individuals who come from relatively civilized countries. But now we’re opening our doors to individuals from backward countries, wacko countries, third world countries and so on … well first off you’ll have to civilize all those people. You’ll get your fill of different coloured skins.”
To see that full decision and show transcript, click here.
While the CBSC forced CKAC to apologize on air, the CRTC has no such power but warned CKAC it might bring this matter up at its license renewal hearing.
“Doc” Mailloux, who apparently is actually an accredited psychiatrist, can still be heard daily on CKAC at 1 p.m.
– Greg O’Brien
