Then give whoever is offended by a statue a hug, and help them get over their grief. Setup counseling sessions to help them become more robust and durable people. Pat them on the back and say, “There, there.”
That, is compassion. Censorship is deciding that in order for compassion to exist, one must force anything painful from existence, and impose upon the rest of the world the sensitivities of the weakest and least emotionally stable people. It’s insisting that women cover themselves because men are too weak to resist the sight of an ankle, or forearm. It’s insisting that men don’t kiss each other in public, or share a sundae in a swanky DC restaurant.
If you need a hug because you’re pained by Robert E. Lee, I’m happy to offer you one. It’s okay. I promise he won’t hurt you anymore. He’s dead. So are his children. And so are all the people he served with. They won’t come out of the closet and get you.
There, there.
