MSNBC's Chris Matthews Redefines Racism - Apparently Only 'Whites' Are Racist

On Monday night, MSNBC's elder statesman Chris Matthews shared his definition of racism. Before we play you the video showing Matthews -- in his own words -- redefining racism, let's look at the actual dictionary definition.

From Merriam-Webster.com:

Image: Merriam-Webster screen cap

And the definition from the built-in dictionary on this writer's MacBook Air.

Mr. Matthews seems to believe that racism is strictly limited to white people. Seriously, Matthews defined racism thusly, “the belief that one race – whites – should rule all others.” This redefining of racism came during a classic Matthews rant about something Rush Limbaugh said about President Obama inspiring Rev. Luis Leon's strange Easter sermon comments.

Watch the clip from Monday night via MSNBC below:

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Matthews' reworking of the dictionary was not lost on Jennifer Gratz of the DC-based civil rights group XIV Foundation. (In case you are not familiar with XIV Foundation, their name refers to the 14th Amendment and they focus on "liberty and justice for all.") From the XIV Foundation's press release:

After watching the segment, Gratz remarked, “No one group has a monopoly on racism. And to suggest otherwise is a ridiculous, terrible message to broadcast to children and adults alike on national TV.”

As just one example, Gratz pointed to an incident that occurred on Monday where black activists delivered Oreo cookies to the office of Detroit’s Emergency Manager, a recent controversial appointment by Michigan Republican Gov. Rick Snyder. “April Fool’s Day or not, delivering Oreo cookies to black politicians that you happen to disagree with is a disgusting act.”

The racist incident mentioned by Gratz in her press release has been covered locally by the Detroit News, but not mentioned on any national news outlet (until now). Perhaps Mr. Matthews or his producers will see the racism practiced by activist Malik Shabazz and adjust the wording in his definition. Ms. Gratz and XIV Foundation have asked for a retraction. When contacted by TheBlaze, Gratz informed us that she has not gotten a response from Matthews or anyone at NBC or MSNBC.

Featured image via Benjamin Cohen/Invision/AP