Amidst Confederate Statue Removal Debate, Twitter Lists Things That Lasted Longer Than The Confederacy

As America enters another week facing its racist history during the George Floyd Protests, familiar battle lines are being drawn between the Black Lives Matter movement and the anti-protest legion who have come out in support of police.

At the center of this heated controversy is a renewal of the debate surrounding the Confederate States of America, the former conglomerate of southeastern states which seceded from the United States in the mid-nineteenth century after the abolitionist movement pushed for the abolishment of slavery. The resulting split led to the American Civil War, which the Union won in 1865, and the states that seceded rejoined the United States.

The Confederacy has reverberated throughout American history, with its existence becoming an integral part of southern American heritage. However, many Americans feel that the glorification of the Confederacy is tantamount to glorifying not just the southern United States but also the racism it ostensibly stood for. Amidst the George Floyd protests, several statues honoring prominent members of the Confederacy have been removed and NASCAR has banned the presence of the Confederate flag at its events, re-sparking the familiar debate about what the Confederacy represents.

However, some have noted that the Confederacy only lasted from 1861-1865, a total of four years, the lot of which were marked by the Civil War. Twitter user @Cooperstreaming shared a post which noted that many things such as Nirvana and "my emo phase" lasted longer than the Confederacy and challenged users to name other things which lasted longer than the Confederacy. The resulting thread puts a strange perspective on the continued presence of the Confederacy in American culture.

Of course, some have a less technically-true but still viable take on the matter.