Sometimes the wind from burning houses
Brought black kites,
Those riding on the carousel
Caught scraps of them in the air.

— Czesław Miłosz, Campo di Fiori, Warsaw, 1943

Knowledge of a symbol’s meaning and the reaction it provokes need not fade at the same time.

A carousel in the shape of a swastika does not change the meaning of the sign. It changes the conditions of its use.

First comes the exception. A quotation, a stylisation, a joke, a historical reference. Each instance can be justified on its own, without yet shifting the boundary of what is considered acceptable.

Over time, justification becomes less and less necessary. A quotation, stylisation, provocation or joke begins to suffice on its own as justification for the sign’s presence.

Trivialisation does not require ignorance. What appears often enough can cease to demand interpretation, and in time, even a response. Knowledge does not disappear. Yet it triggers resistance less and less often.

Not all symbols remain equally difficult to use. Some remain effectively untouchable; others, over time, cease to require explanation. Their history need not be forgotten.

Recognition is not the opposite of indifference. It can be its condition.

After a certain point, a symbol no longer needs rehabilitation. It is enough that questioning its presence begins to sound excessive.

At first, it was the appearance of the sign that had to be explained.

Later, what needs explaining is why it still bothers anyone.