Governments are weird. Maybe “weird” isn’t the right word. The more accurate word may be “opportunistic.” When it comes to speech they don’t like, they move into this mode. If they think they can silence it, they will try to. And they’ll do this while still pretending the speech they’re trying to control is nothing more than their own.

Dig if you will, my brothers: vanity plates. Government speech or personal speech? Those who view this rationally likely believe that the message on a vanity license plate is the expression of the plate’s purchaser. That it’s delivered by a state-issued plate doesn’t matter. We don’t actually believe the government is trying to send a message with their IMGOD or COPSLIE or LOVETOFU vanity plate. (ALL ACTUAL CASES.)

Instead, we would logically infer the truncated statement on the vanity plate expresses the views of the person paying for this privilege.

But the government also believes it has some obligation to “protect” other drivers from being offended by the personal expressions of others, which is a supremely ridiculous belief to entertain, even professionally. So, the entities issuing plates tend to err on the side of absurdity (governments tend to phrase this as “caution”), rejecting any plate any government plate content moderator might view as “offensive.”

  • @0110010001100010
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    61 year ago

    I had one for a while, kinda fun. But damn they really stick it to you for the yearly renewal cost and I finally dropped it. The ones that always get me are stupid ones that just describe the car. Like “RED BUG” for a red VW beetle…

      • @spongebue
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        1 year ago

        I saw a Tesla with P0506, which is the diagnostic code for engine RPM lower than expected

    • @[email protected]
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      fedilink
      41 year ago

      There’s a car that I see occasionally that has a vanity plate that’s basically “SPOTTY”. It’s a car with spots on it. I approve.

      • Flying Squid
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        21 year ago

        I remember seeing a fancy car with a license plate that said NOTAGIFT, which I felt was fair enough.