(Todd A. Smith)
If the late, great John Lennon of The Beatles were still alive, the predictable downfall of racist live streamer Chud the Builder could have inspired him to remix his timeless classic, “Imagine.”
For context, Emma Tucker, Caroll Alvarado and Rebekah Reiss of CNN reported, “A live streamer known for posting videos with racist content online appeared in court on Friday morning on charges including attempted murder after he shot a man outside a Tennessee courthouse, according to authorities.
“Dalton Eatherly—who goes by ‘Chud the Builder’ online—got into an argument with another man, identified by Montgomery County officials as Joshua Fox, outside the Montgomery County Courthouse in Clarksville, Wednesday afternoon, according to an arrest warrant.
“Eatherly, 28, turned his body ‘in a bladed stance’ toward Fox and reached for a firearm in his jacket pocket, after which a ‘physical altercation’ happened, the warrant said. Eatherly fired his weapon and Fox was struck multiple times, according to the document.”
For weeks, at least, Chud the Builder has built an online following by walking up to Black people during his live streams and calling them the N-word.
If the Black people got offended, he accused them of “chimping out,” a reference to the racial slur that compares Black people to chimps, monkeys and apes.
Now, back to the “Imagine” remix.
Some of the lyrics could have included the following information.
Imagine being Chud the Builder.
Imagine spending most of your time hating a group of people who, until recently, had no idea who you were.
Imagine being so hateful that your only desire in life was to antagonize Black people with racial slurs, hoping that a response from them would give you the right to shoot or kill them.
Imagine being so ignorant of Tennessee law that you thought a verbal altercation with a Black man gave you the right to reach for your gun.
Imagine thinking that Black people did not have the right to defend themselves, especially against a man with a gun, when the brother had no weapon on him, only his fists.
Imagine being so racist and drunk off White privilege that you thought that telling people your story ended with a dead Black person, you walking free from the incident and Black people protesting in the streets would not backfire against you.
Imagine live-streaming your racist escapades on social media as if a court of law would not use your provocations as evidence against you.
Imagine possibly spending decades in prison just because you hated Black people.
And then imagine all people forgetting you ever existed as the best years of your life are spent incarcerated while keeping brothers off your behind, both literally and figuratively.
Many people could not imagine going down that road because most people are smarter than Chud the Builder.
Many people would not let their hate for someone, or some demographic, permanently ruin their lives.
Many people would just ignore or avoid the people whom they did not like.
But Chud the Builder is not most people.
He was so consumed with hatred that he let his hatred consume him.
Every day, he woke up trying to upset Black people.
Now, he might wake up every day to Black men in prison who will always be upset with his brazen racism.
Imagine thinking that you could get rich from racism as a live streamer.
Then, imagine a brother sues you and pockets the small fortune that you raised from other racists.
Imagine being so ignorant of the First Amendment that you thought free speech would make attempted murder acceptable.
Imagine thinking freedom of speech meant freedom from consequences and repercussions.
Imagine calling Black people chimps and the N-word in the streets, then being completely silent in the courtroom as Black law enforcement officials stare deeply into your soul.
Many people could not imagine Chud the Builder’s decision-making and behavior because many people would weigh the pros and cons before they embarked on a crash-out mission that promised a prison sentence or a graveyard destination.
Many people are smart enough not to make short-term decisions that have lifetime or long-term consequences.
Many people would not want to be famous so badly that they put themselves in prison, potentially for decades.
But many people are smarter than Chud the Builder, possibly.
I say possibly because Chud the Builder is a microcosm of American society.
That is why we have an unapologetic racist in the White House named President Donald Trump.
Many Americans were so racist that they were willing to sacrifice their livelihood to avoid voting for a woman of color, former Vice President Kamala Harris, in 2024.
Many Americans are so racist that they would rather pay much more money for products than to admit that the White racist was not right for the country.
Many Americans are so racist that they would rather redraw state congressional districts in the middle of a decade than have a diversity of voices and experiences speaking up for the American people at the U.S. Capitol.
Many people are so racist that they welcome poorer healthcare and limited health options in rural America just to say that America does not have a woman of color in the Oval Office.
And like Chud the Builder, many Americans will reap what they sowed for years to come, all in the name of racism, White privilege and White supremacy.
With America’s bigoted history, that should not have been so hard to imagine.
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