Being nasty can rile your critics,
Stir up your fans, and incite your base.
That nastiness can leave an ugly
Mark that's difficult to erase.

Being narcissistic might make
Your fans think you have inner strength,
Though others can see how catty and petty
You are when rambling on at length.

Saying you're a nationalist
Might make you think you sound patriotic,
Although you embolden neo-Nazis
And others who find your words hypnotic.

Dehumanizing people
Is cruel and has a disastrous effect.
It shows your carelessness, your lack
Of sympathy, and lack of respect.

Calling asylum seekers "invaders,"
Enemies who are infesting our land,
Spreads a political fiction--a hoax--
That dangerously gets out of hand.

Perverse culprits devour your words.
Unstable extremists can hear
A message no matter how you meant it,
Thinking you've put a bug in their ear.

Then the killers--equipped to the max
With all the deadly weapons they need--
Go on a violent shooting spree:
Death and injury guaranteed.

Rhetoric has consequences.
Words really matter a lot.
Violence breeds violence
When hatred is so carefully taught.

-by Bob B (10-30-18)