The Horror! Ed Schultz Grovels for Forgiveness After Kneejerk Use of Term 'Lily White'

Funny how those quickest to label others as racist contort themselves in knots if they say something possibly perceived as racist.

Liberal radio host and MSNBC action hero Ed Schultz provided an amusing example of this on his radio show Tuesday after his gratuitous use of the term "lily white." (audio clip after page break)

Here's a clip of Schultz saying it while condemning NRA chief Wayne LaPierre's criticism of violence in films and video games (audio) --

So Mr. LaPierre on one hand, he wants to restrict the free market, on the other hand he wants free wheeling, he wants to trash the First Amendment but he doesn't want to trash the Second Amendment. I mean, there's a lot of arguments you can make on this. Look, I'm not saying that Hollywood's, Hollywood has its hand free or the shadowy industry that he's talking about, uh, is lily white in any way, shape or form, if you know what I mean. And that's probably not the proper term to use, but you know what I'm talking about.

Minutes later, just before the end of that hour of his radio broadcast, Schultz profusively apologized for saying "lily white" and cited the reason why (audio) --

That was a bad choice of words on my part when I said lily white. I certainly wasn't referring to the anti-civil rights movement back in the 19th century, I wasn't, wasn't doing that at all. If I, that was a bad choice of words, I didn't mean that, I'm sorry.

Clearly unnerved to learn he might be a closet racist, Schultz was still apologizing at the start of the next hour of his show (audio) --

There are different definitions that are out there for different words and different terms and I just want to be totally clear, when I was speaking with that gentleman from Chicago on the gun violence and I used the term lily white, one of the definitions is 'beyond reproach, blameless.' And I'm pulling that out of the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language and that was my intention. Now, of course, lily white was a (sic) anti-civil rights group that was back in the 19th century and certainly I wasn't referring to that. But one of the definitions is 'beyond reproach, blameless' and I was a poor choice of words (yes -- "I was a poor choice of words"), even though I am supported by the definition of that particular dictionary. I hope you forgive me (Thank you, sir, may I have another?!) and I didn't certainly mean in any way to offend anybody.

Just my opinion, Ed, for what little it's worth, but I don't think you're racist. Perhaps if you lapsed less often into the narrow vernacular of j'accuse liberalism, you'd worry less about other people seeing you that way.