"That's the spirit of censorship"? Couldn't such a request be in the spirit of something else instead? What if you and me were talking to a loved one of yours, perhaps your dying mother, and I was about to say something that you knew would upset her and make her sad, and you said to me "please don't mention that to her" perhaps in a slightly pleading or worried tone, wincing as you thought about how your mother would react. Would you call your request an act in the spirit of censorship?

When people have a negative reaction to something somebody says, isn't it natural for them to express their disapproval?

He asked "please take it down." His request could be denied with a simple "No."

Then the two of them could have walked away, after each expressing themselves. Why escalate tensions further?