Color of Change posted the news on Facebook, where it was, of course, received with appropriate empathy and contemplation. The 600 comments included lots of gems such as “Proud of our civil war plantation wedding! Eat shit color of change [sic]!!” because one exclamation point wasn’t enough. There was the old-faithful “slavery was too long ago” argument, with one commenter adding, “So stupid. That was hundreds of years ago. Why not call them beautiful homes or restored homes. Are they canceling castle weddings too?” And the unheard-of sentiment: “There were slaves of every color.”

The basic themes were echoed by the wedding vendors quoted in news reports: that slavery was in the past, that it wasn’t that bad, that the splendor of plantations has outlived whatever negativity they might represent. While these pronouncements can be easily countered with reason, logic unfortunately doesn’t matter.

Slavery was indeed “in the past” – a shocker to readers, I’m sure. Yet this hasn’t prevented America from fervently preserving the history it does deem worthwhile, no matter how far back or inconsequential. Many Americans zealously defend their right to praise the Confederate flag, defend inanimate buildings from demolition or restoration (have you seen the passion among landmark preservationists?), and, yes, scroll endlessly through plantation-inspo, with none of the icky historical context.