Kennedy Mitchum talks with Ali Velshi about her correspondence with Merriam-Webster, ultimately convincing the dictionary publisher to adjust its definition of the word racism. Aired on 6/10/2020.
» Subscribe to MSNBC:
MSNBC delivers breaking news, in-depth analysis of politics headlines, as well as commentary and informed perspectives. Find video clips and segments from The Rachel Maddow Show, Morning Joe, Meet the Press Daily, The Beat with Ari Melber, Deadline: White House with Nicolle Wallace, Hardball, All In, Last Word, 11th Hour, and more.
Connect with MSNBC Online
Visit msnbc.com:
Subscribe to MSNBC Newsletter:
Find MSNBC on Facebook:
Follow MSNBC on Twitter:
Follow MSNBC on Instagram:
Woman Convinces Merriam-Webster To Update Definition Of Racism | Rachel Maddow | MSNBC
Ignorance is not bliss when your smoke detector battery needs changing, it’s maddening.
@Rob Perry that’s because we are a country that loves crappy analogies. Because an analogy is more extensive and elaborate than either a simile or a metaphor. they are the Dutch apply pie to our collective eye.
@mflynn2009 me too!
All you can say about the Main Stream Media, is that none of them CNN, FOX, MSNBC , etc. have Journalistic Integrity anymore. You can no longer rely on NEWS Media to have journalistic Integrity and provide the honest truth.They all twist words, cut apart video and pander towards their political belief and financial advisors! America must now use social media to try to make sense out of all the political agenda lies being spewed out by MSM. America, We must review the First Amendment and don’t let politics sway our opinions!
@Pam Deshane you have no idea what you are saying, you support a criminal. lookup the definition.
If the smoke alarm is beeping you are not ignorant of the fact the battery needs changing. You may be ignoring it.. but you are not ignorant of the facts.
More power to Kennedy Mitchum for taking this action in educating society
I don’t educating by you her or Mirriam.
@Mr Olonzo wut?
Society is even dumber now that the selfish moron had her way.
You mean in propaganda to society
“Miseducating”
the evolution of language, before our eyes
@eemoogee And what? They don’t now? They’re literally siding with you. But yes thongs were better….LMAO
@Mr Olonzo They are bowing to popular pressure, which is interesting because it happens so infrequently in human history. Buckle up, there’s more to come!
@Mr Olonzo Did you know that the word ‘thong’ used to mean “a strip of leather or hide”? What SJWs ruined that perfectly good definition?
@Mr Olonzo
You don’t want language to be recognised as changing because it makes your position sound as bad as it actually is. But language changes regardless, and it is the dictionary publisher’s responsibility to record that change.
Despite being able to see the moment that the dictionary itself changed, the change in how the word is used by people has been more gradual, just as happens with most words. Your permission was not required for this to happen.
@Mr Olonzo
And clearing the path for the president for a photo shoot was a gross abuse of power.
There was nothing reasonable about it. The excuse for doing it was not reasonable. The techniques used were not reasonable. The abuse of the free press at the protest was especially unreasonable.
Now redefine “chauvinist”:
1 a person who is aggressively and blindly patriotic, especially one devoted to military glory.
2 a person who believes one gender is superior to the other, as a male chauvinist or a female chauvinist.
3 a sadistic person (from: “Derek Chauvin”, a cruel policeman who in 2020 tortured and killed an unarmed man)
Number 2 is backed up by sience while yours is backed up by feelings.
@Nelcomarproductions And a video
Wow, this comment and replies perfectly illustrates the pending death of sarcasm and humour in today’s society. I sincerely can’t work out who is serious and who is mocking.
@rational gaze I am serious
@Nelcomarproductions I suspected as much, but I think (hope) the OP agrees with you in that they are being sarcastic/humourous. And I could be wrong. That’s the problem, I thought the OP was joking but its hard to tell a joke from the truth these days.
Racism, when someone is scared by other races as it exposes their inferiority complexes.
Sounds like most blacks then
Carlitox b why do poor whites not get the advantages of lower standards for Universities making them now the lowest population to get a higher education now
Yeah thts exactly how they kept black ppl working in their fields
Racism: Always worried about race and who may or may not be racist lol.
@Carlitox b
that isn’t what racism means, but nice try. Funny that people from India are better educated in the English language.
2020 Merriam-Webster revised definition of racism: picture of Donald Trump.
@LONE WOLF 👈 Racist
The Republican stance is their vote has to suppressed.
@Ralph Boyd im not the racist one. I believe in equality. Not racist policies.
@Waitwhat Jones as a black man, I 100% agree with him. If ANY black man vote for the current president, he can’t be black. No real minority will ever vote for him. That’s why his support is so low with those demographics.
CC Titan ok cool
@Halloween Knight
so you claiming Trump is a superior race?
*They should add a cross-reference: **_See Impeached Dondald J. Trump and GOP._*
If racism is systemic… black people live mainly in cost controlled areas so racism should mean Democrat policies.
@Old Woman Democrats have always been the party of racist policy
@Old Woman explain why every police department that is systematically racist is controlled by Democrats. Chicago contributed by Democrats since 1931, Minneapolis since 1973, Baltimore, st Louis, Los Angeles, DC, must I keep going?
@Michel F anyone can pose with a Rebel Flag and wear a MAGA hat. just like Jussie Smollett can say he was attacked by Trump supporters. at this point Liberals will say and do anything to make Trump look bad. it will be one event after another all the way up to November in a desperate attempt to prevent Trump for getting reelected. we may never be able to Deprogram Liberal Socialists from the Brainwashing that has occurred in our Schools and reinforced by the MSM. *My Rights Are Not Up For A VOTE!*
@Michel F that video is akin to saying the German army is to blame for WWII and ignores the NAZI Party and Hitler. why is this? because Democrats are desperate to rewrite history and erase their role as the leadership of the CAS.
Te coolest thing about dictionaries is that every year, new words get added and definitions adapt to our changing culture.
Yes, like the virtue signalling culture.
Ok. Now we have record of the Mirriam dictionary being changed by the instigation of a 22 year old.
Let that be known.
The ancestors of so called white America became successful on the backs of African Americans ancestors.
1:08 “Some white people”. It’s clear to see that racism is something that is being connected to white people, and in this way black people are becoming blind to the fact that they too can be racists and often is, and it’s a phenomena that is even accepted and nobody raise an eyebrow if black people talk in a negative way about white people. History can tell us that every time people start dividing society into “us” and “them”, they are treading on dangerous ground. “The white villain” have become a meme and a cliche, and shouldn’t be accepted. Black, brown, yellow etc. people should realize that they too are able to show intolerance for those that don’t share their ethnic identity, and that it’s even much more common that this happens, then the other way around, because we no longer live in the time when European colonial powers rule the world. Just think about slogans like “black power” versus “white power”. Are only one of these racist or both? How about if white people had gathered under the banner of “White life matters”, would this be accepted? If white people had started to talk about feeling victimized by other ethnic groups, had anyone shown any compassion?
This extreme focus on “race” are going to backfire on those that insist to continue to use the term. We are all the same and there’s no difference to any of us, and it shouldn’t be tolerated to continue to divide people like this, or keep the black pity-party going. “The dictionary is racist!”, “Confederate statues are racist!”, “The police have only racists!”, even “Winston Churchill was a racist!”… It’s becoming silly…
If she hadn’t called others “ignorant,” I could respect what she did, but I find nothing wrong or “ignorant” about the traditional definition. All she did was add to it.
“You don’t need to run on a train to be in motion”
We’re being pulled along like it or not in other words.
Why can’t blacks be racists do hate crimes?
Except systematic racism doesnt exist anymore. Name one thing a black person is restricted from, that a white man can do without issue.
Well, the thing they excel at is blaming everyone but themselves for their problems. I mean, it can’t be them…….right?
It seems highly unlikely that this young person, admirable as her inquiry was, started Merriam-Webster’s redefinition of “racism”. It was almost certainly already under way. In any case, regardless of its origins, such an expanded formal definition is a good thing.
In definition 2, they’ve used the word racism in the definition of racism.
This is extremely dangerous.
Including “systemic aspects” basically implies that only white people can be racist because you all view the system as “white” anyway.
Insanity has reached a boiling point.