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TLC’s Chilli On Black Lives Matter: “For Me, All Lives Matter”

LAS VEGAS, NV - MAY 01: Recording artists Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins (L) and Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas of TLC perform during the kickoff of The Main Event tour at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on May 1, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

There are two easy cheats for good publicity in 2017: 1) Do not say “All Lives Matter,” especially when “Black Lives Matter” is presented in a preceding question, and 2) Maybe don’t say you don’t care about a present threat like Donald Trump. And yet, here we are. TLC have started giving out interviews in the lead-up to their upcoming fan-funded, self-titled album. The duo found themselves at the UK’s Channel 4 News, where interviewer Jasmine Dotiwala posed a question that’s been asked multiple times in some variation over the past few years: “Another issue that’s been highlighted in both the USA and the UK is the Black Lives Matter movement. Did you guys feel strongly about it, when it was kicking off in America?”

Instead of making the easy layup, Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas took a bad turn and kept going:

I personally didn’t go into any marches, or anything like that, but for me, all lives matter, you know what I mean? Because there is a time when different groups are targeted for different things, you know what I’m saying? So, I just think that, just the whole—what happened, police brutality, against these young black boys, all of that kind of stuff is wrong, even if it was a caucasian teen kid that this was happening to or whatever. It’s just not right, and some people take that authoritative position, and go crazy with it obviously. I think that before people are higher in these positions, they need to do some kind of better background check on them, or mental stability check to see if they can really handle being in a position like that.

There is something edible within all of that word vomit—the part where she says “police brutality, against these young black boys.” That issue is part of the point of Black Lives Matter; yes, various groups have been persecuted in America, but it’s African-Americans who’re still being targeted. Not a great answer, but Dotiwala pressed onward to her next question: “What’s it like for you both being black woman in America in the age of Donald Trump?” This time, former Celebrity Apprentice contestant Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins stepped in front of the question to not much greater of a result.

I don’t care about Donald Trump, so, I mean, God is my president. I just feel sorry for the people it affects, but I don’t care about him.

Again, TLC’s upcoming album is funded by fans’ financial support. It seems callous to claim you “don’t care” about a man who’s willing to enact policies that would disproportionately affect members of that fanbase. Anyways, you can watch the interview clip below.

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