Go Be Offensive Poem by David Welch

I was skimming the internet
and found a man who preached,
can't ever say that I'd agree
with any of his speech.
He hated nuclear power,
said that it should be banned,
that is was just a folly and
would be the end of man.
So I asked this man if he thought
that we faced climate change?
He said he did, so I said next,
"Then your stance is insane.
Nuclear is the only way
to meet our power needs
if you are truly serious
on being carbon free."
I expected a fierce debate,
in which both sides might learn,
instead he cried, "I'm offended! :
and I got banned in turn.

The same thing happened when I dared
to challenge abortion,
they cried to social media
and my account was done.
No marketplace for our ideas,
no room for other views,
if we cannot challenge our thoughts,
how will we find the truth?
This haunted me for a long time,
our minds are limited,
mankind just cannot long survive
without hearing what's said.
Our lives and futures will stagnate
without the constant church,
sometimes we need to go offend,
and be offended in turn.

What good is an echo chamber?
How will you deal with harm,
If all you do is run away
from words that may alarm?
And since some can misinterpret
even the nicest words,
to silence people for ‘offense'
is utterly absurd!
That would mean that no single soul
would every get to speak,
since someone [always takes offense,
somebody always freaks.
It's wrong to silence the people,
even if inside you burn,
to speak is to be offensive,
and be offended in turn.

Even murderous soviets
could not stop what folks say,
truth and opinion will get out,
they always find a way.
Hiding from it makes the mind weak,
untested, unprepared,
dealing with it strengthens the soul
and teaches the unaware.
Difference always brings conflict,
but is that a bad thing?
If offense brings a new idea
that means you're still changing.
Our minds aren't meant to be static,
for challenges they will yearn,
to grow we must be offensive,
and be offended in turn.