Black Televangelist Claims ‘There Are No Black People’ At Trump Rally (VIDEO)

NOW Network co-founder and televangelist Mark Burns has (for some reason unbeknownst to rational thought) been an ardent supporter of Donald Trump. Despite nearly every Trump rally being a batshit wonderland of racism, sexism, and dodgy rhetoric, Mark Burns’ support for history’s first Orange-American presidential candidate does not appear to have diminished.

Mr. Burns, a black man, even stood by the mogul when he wouldn’t disavow the Ku Klux Klan and former Grand Wizard David Duke. Now that’s dedication.

Mr. Burns’ unwavering dedication to “a strong leader who will bring strength back to America” does have a major drawback, however. There is a mental metamorphosis that takes place when one spends too much time inside the cavalcade of absurdity that is Donald Trump’s campaign. It screws with your brain, making you say and believe all sorts of asinine things, like how “there are no black people.”

Addressing a Trump rally in Rochester, N.Y. in almost the same way one would demand a match with Triple H at Wrestlemania for the world title, televangelist Mark Burns put on display the horrifying effects of Trump Campaign syndrome:

“When you think about it, the only real person who has been divisive is the Obama and Clinton Administration. Because they want to make you to believe that it is more important to be the color of your skin than being the color of the United States of America. Because the fact of the matter is there are no black people, there are no white people, there are no Hispanic people, there are no Asian people — there’s only one color that matters and that is the color of red, white, and blue.”

mark burns trump rally there are no black people
Screengrab via YouTube.

You know, I’m not going to nitpick and point out that red, white, and blue are actually three colors. I’m not going to point out the comment insinuates that the only colors that matter are those of indigenous people, white people, and people who use colloidal silver. I’m also not going to point out how ironic this statement is coming from a black man actively involved in the black community of Greenville, S.C., just a couple hundred miles from where Dylann Roof killed nine black churchgoers on the basis of their race last summer and within a state that has a rich history of naming its roads after Confederate generals and flying a flag born from racism.

What I am going to point out is how dense this statement is and as a black man — clergy, nonetheless — Mr. Burns’ support of Donald Trump’s campaign and his adoption of idiotic, Trump rally-approved rhetoric is disturbing.

What the hell does he mean there are no black people? From his commentary it sounds like Mr. Burns is trying to point out that we’re all the same. And we should be, don’t get me wrong, but we’re not. We’re not all the same. We’re not all “red, white, and blue,” because living in the United States is a fundamentally different experience if you’re a white guy than it is if you’re a person of color.

People of color are routinely evicted from their neighborhoods to raise property values. These increased property values attract brands to the area which, in turn, attract white people.

White people can go on a shooting spree and be taken into custody without officers discharging their weapon. People of color get killed by police in Wal-Mart’s while carrying an airsoft gun that the Wal-Mart sells.

Nearly half of all inmates are non-violent drug offenders and the vast majority of them are people of color.

I suppose this is what happens to the human brain at a Trump rally. Its ability to be rational is melted away by unrealistic rhetoric like “make America great again,” leaving it prone to blatantly ridiculous and borderline-offensive talking points like “there are no black people.”

Unfortunately for us, Trump’s campaign is still hugely popular and this is the horseshit he and his ilk are selling. I want equality as much as the next guy, but that doesn’t mean I pretend that racism isn’t still a thing. Even though I was brought up with the “post-racial America” lie, like many of us were, doesn’t mean that I am ignorant that life in the United States is fundamentally different for a white person than it is for a person of color.

So long as racism still exists, race is important. By lumping everyone into “red, white, and blue,” acknowledging racial disparity is monumentally more difficult.

[H/T Raw Story]

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