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Manitoba revokes Star Trek licence plate, deems it offensive

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MMarston

Was getting caught part of your plan?
Of course, it's a Borg slogan.
WINNIPEG — Manitoba Public Insurance has revoked a Star Trek fan's personalized licence plate after receiving complaints that its message — ASIMIL8 — is offensive to indigenous people.

Nick Troller has been driving around with the plate for two years. It's held within a Star Trek licence frame that also bears the quotes, "We are the Borg," and "Resistance is Futile." Troller tells CTV Winnipeg that on his favourite show, an enemy race of aliens called the Borg travel through the galaxy trying to assimilate other cultures into their own.

He says he thought the plate was funny and notes strangers and other Trek fans have complimented him and asked to take photos with the plate. But Troller got a phone call Wednesday from a staff member at Manitoba Public Insurance who told him two people had complained that the word "assimilate" is offensive to indigenous people. He also received a letter from MPI on Thursday demanding he "surrender" the plate immediately, telling him he can either get a new plate or a refund on the $100 charge. "But that's not the point," says Troller. "We've become way too sensitive. You can't say anything anymore to anybody."

Ry Moran, from the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, insists the word "assimilate" is too offensive to be on a licence plate.

"For basically the entirety of this country's history, indigenous peoples have been forcibly assimilated through really extremely destructive means and ways," he says."Words like that, meant or not, have an actual impact on many people."

MPI's policy states that "plates cannot contain a slogan that could be considered offensive." MPI says it takes such complaints "very seriously" and will investigate why the plate was approved in the first place.
Source

Note: Winnipeg, Manitoba got labeled the most racist city in Canada at one point, so personally, I find it a little understandable for taking this sort of action despite it being from a very different context.

Blow up my bridge consoles if old.
 

Moppeh

Banned
tenor.gif


Dude should just get another Star Trek vanity plate instead.
 

Htown

STOP SHITTING ON MY MOTHER'S HEADSTONE
took me a second, but I suppose it could be read as a command

as in, "you indigenous people better assimilate!"

I don't doubt that the Borg thing is true. Just one of those things.

"But that's not the point," says Troller. "We've become way too sensitive. You can't say anything anymore to anybody."
Alright, now you need to ease up, Troller. Just relax and put some other Borg thing on your plate.
 

Hazmat

Member
It's unfortunate because it was just someone letting their nerd flag fly, but I could see people being offended. It's a government-issued plate, he can get a bumper sticker if he wants to express the same thing.
 

Koomaster

Member
The fact it's surrounded by a Star Trek themed frame shows his intent. It's an English word and he's using it as a fan of the show. He should be allowed to keep the plate imo.
 
Before anyone chimes in on free speech:

License plates are controlled by the government, they get to decide what is on your license plate...

And assimilation is absolutely used to attack non whites in Canada...

Intent is largely irrelevant in this.
 

Lesath

Member
The fact it's surrounded by a Star Trek themed frame shows his intent. It's an English word and he's using it as a fan of the show. He should be allowed to keep the plate imo.

Intent only matters up until the point someone asks you to stop doing something; past that point your intention is to be an offensive asshole.
 
Before anyone chimes in on free speech:

License plates are controlled by the government, they get to decide what is on your license plate...

And assimilation is absolutely used to attack non whites in Canada...

Intent is largely irrelevant in this.

Resistance is futile.

Yeah I'll see myself out
 
This reminds me of what Austin Walker of Giant Bomb says was one of the most important realizations of his adult life: you don't get to decide if someone else is offended or not. If someone is offended by something you say or do, an adult opens a dialogue to find out why. After things are made clear, you can politely disagree. But you don't get to do is day, "What I'm doing isn't offending anyone; you're just too sensitive."

I get that it's a Star Trek reference, but it's clear how it could be taken the wrong way. I'd just say," Ah, I understand. My bad." and think of a new plate.

Also, I can't be the only one that sees the similarities between the Borg and imperialist Europe, right? I've never seen Star Trek, but my guess is that's kind of the point.


The fact it's surrounded by a Star Trek themed frame shows his intent. It's an English word and he's using it as a fan of the show. He should be allowed to keep the plate imo.
I get what you're saying, and I don't think the original intent was to be offensive. But it shouldn't be up to everyone that reads it to know that a loaded word, especially in this area of Canada (where I live), it's meant to be something else. Once he was told how many would take it, he should grow up and realize that his right to fly his nerd flag shouldn't overwrite many people's legitimate concern over a term that was used to indoctrinate and/or exterminate tens of thousands of aboriginals.


Anyone who finds that offensive got some sand in their V'ger.

Fucking really?
 

Quixzlizx

Member
This reminds me of what Austin Walker of Giant Bomb says was one of the most important realizations of his adult life: you don't get to decide if someone else is offended or not. If someone is offended by something you say or do, an adult opens a dialogue to find out why. After things are made clear, you can politely disagree. But you don't get to do is day, "What I'm doing isn't offending anyone; you're just too sensitive."

I get that it's a Star Trek reference, but it's clear how it could be taken the wrong way. I'd just say," Ah, I understand. My bad." and think of a new plate.

Also, I can't be the only one that sees the similarities between the Borg and imperialist Europe, right? I've never seen Star Trek, but my guess is that's kind of the point.

If the creators were making a specific political point about the Borg, it would be more like collectivism/totalitarianism. They share a hive mind.
 

Koomaster

Member
This reminds me of what Austin Walker of Giant Bomb says was one of the most important realizations of his adult life: you don't get to decide if someone else is offended or not. If someone is offended by something you say or do, an adult opens a dialogue to find out why. After things are made clear, you can politely disagree. But you don't get to do is day, "What I'm doing isn't offending anyone; you're just too sensitive."

I get that it's a Star Trek reference, but it's clear how it could be taken the wrong way. I'd just say," Ah, I understand. My bad." and think of a new plate.

Also, I can't be the only one that sees the similarities between the Borg and imperialist Europe, right? I've never seen Star Trek, but my guess is that's kind of the point.
Until the next plate he comes up with offends someone else. Let the guy have his nerd plate.

I get what you're saying, and I don't think the original intent was to be offensive. But it shouldn't be up to everyone that reads it to know that a loaded word, especially in this area of Canada (where I live), it's meant to be something else. Once he was told how many would take it, he should grow up and realize that his right to fly his nerd flag shouldn't overwrite many people's legitimate concern over a term that was used to indoctrinate and/or exterminate tens of thousands of aboriginals.
Or people should grow up and realize he is expressing his love for Star Trek.
 
Until the next plate he comes up with offends someone else. Let the guy have his nerd plate.

Or people should grow up and realize he is expressing his love for Star Trek.

This is a specific term used over and over to minimalize and destroy an entire people's culture. You don't get to tell them they're not allowed to be offended once the issue is pointed out. This is not some random term, which everyone seems to be implying with their Slippery Slope arguments. The use was consistent, specific and extremely damaging. It's not just one person being offended on a whim.
 

Trojita

Rapid Response Threadmaker
This reminds me of what Austin Walker of Giant Bomb says was one of the most important realizations of his adult life: you don't get to decide if someone else is offended or not. If someone is offended by something you say or do, an adult opens a dialogue to find out why. After things are made clear, you can politely disagree. But you don't get to do is day, "What I'm doing isn't offending anyone; you're just too sensitive."

I get that it's a Star Trek reference, but it's clear how it could be taken the wrong way. I'd just say," Ah, I understand. My bad." and think of a new plate.

Also, I can't be the only one that sees the similarities between the Borg and imperialist Europe, right? I've never seen Star Trek, but my guess is that's kind of the point.



I get what you're saying, and I don't think the original intent was to be offensive. But it shouldn't be up to everyone that reads it to know that a loaded word, especially in this area of Canada (where I live), it's meant to be something else. Once he was told how many would take it, he should grow up and realize that his right to fly his nerd flag shouldn't overwrite many people's legitimate concern over a term that was used to indoctrinate and/or exterminate tens of thousands of aboriginals.




Fucking really?

You said open a dialogue, but that isn't the reality of this situation or any hypothetical. Opening a dialogue would mean talking to him and finding out the Star Trek reference. You say you can politely disagree, but that isn't happening here. They are asking him to remove it.

V'ger is a Star Trek reference.
 

AoM

Member
This is a specific term used over and over to minimalize and destroy an entire people's culture. You don't get to tell them they're not allowed to be offended once the issue is pointed out. This is not some random term, which everyone seems to be implying with their Slippery Slope arguments. The use was consistent, specific and extremely damaging. It's not just one person being offended on a whim.

Yeah, not one, but a whopping two according to the article.
 

bryehn

Member
Manitoba routinely rejects plates that use numbers as letters. They also have a 7 character limit.

LOCUTUS

WALZFEL

e: I grew up in a town with 25-35% native population. Assimilate is a pretty offensive term. I feel for the nerd with the vanity plate, but yeah...just get a different plate man.
 

PaulloDEC

Member
This seems kinda ridiculous to me. Should episodes of Star Trek that involve the Borg and the word "assimilate" be allowed to be broadcast in that area? Because in both that case and this case you'd have to completely ignore the context of the word's use to have a legitimate argument as to why it's offensive.
 
You said open a dialogue, but that isn't the reality of this situation or any hypothetical. Opening a dialogue would mean talking to him and finding out the Star Trek reference. You say you can politely disagree, but that isn't happening here. They are asking him to remove it.

V'ger is a Star Trek reference.

I was saying what Austin said. Obviously in this situation, direct dialogue isn't very possible. But he was made aware why such a saying is offensive, yet even though the reasoning for said taboo is abundantly clear, he chose to claim everyone is "too sensitive" instead of respecting the opinions of both the complainants and MPI.

Yeah, not one, but a whopping two according to the article.
That doesn't mean that only two people were ever offended by it -- just that two were offended enough to go through the proper complaints process. How many do you think took issue with it but didn't want to go through the work to complain? That doesn't mean they're not offended or wouldn't be okay with banning the plate. It just means they prioritize other things.

And it's not like two people complained and that was that. If only the Manitoba government reacted so quickly to issues. It was looked into though, the phrase's history was taken into account (as was the Trek reference), and it was still deemed unsuitable.

In the same way people dismiss others taking umbrage with the term and say "get over it," I can spin it back around and say the same. Some people pointed out how your plate can, quite easily, be seen as offensive in a very racially divided part of the country. The government agreed. Suck it up, get over it, and think of a new "witty" license plate.
 
This is a specific term used over and over to minimalize and destroy an entire people's culture. You don't get to tell them they're not allowed to be offended once the issue is pointed out. This is not some random term, which everyone seems to be implying with their Slippery Slope arguments. The use was consistent, specific and extremely damaging. It's not just one person being offended on a whim.

No it was 2 people over two years...oh the humanity!

So if the man with the licence plate is now offended does that cancel out?
 

soco

Member
It's always funny to hear people pull the too "sensitive"/ "you can't say anything anymore to anybody" shit, because we have more freedom than at any point in history with regards to what we can say.

Plus, calling others too sensitive is like whining because your own feelings got hurt.
 

oxrock

Gravity is a myth, the Earth SUCKS!
Intent only matters up until the point someone asks you to stop doing something; past that point your intention is to be an offensive asshole.

I disagree wholeheartedly. I think circumstance is a key factor. I wouldn't necessarily say it's the case in this scenario, but some people power trip on the fact that they can force change by "taking offense" and try using that to their advantage to feel better about themselves or to make a statement and draw attention to the their cause. At any rate, I think you have the right to be you and express yourself to a large degree as long as it's not intently aimed as inhibiting someone else's right to do the same. Taking offense to someone doing that is largely bullshit IMO unless they're spouting hate speech of some sort and the like.

Sucks for they guy, pretty boss custom plate if you're a Borg fanatic honestly. That is pretty much their ideology. I think he's just flabbergasted because it's a pretty obvious reference when surrounded by his other related paraphernalia. Hopefully he finds a suitable replacement and doesn't continue to make a big stink of this.
 

Suikoguy

I whinny my fervor lowly, for his length is not as great as those of the Hylian war stallions
Before anyone chimes in on free speech:

License plates are controlled by the government, they get to decide what is on your license plate...

And assimilation is absolutely used to attack non whites in Canada...

Intent is largely irrelevant in this.

Yeah, it's just an unfortunate coincidence.
Guy will have to come up with some other Star Trek reference.
 

mlclmtckr

Banned
I was sure it was going to be IDIC.

Also yeah the word 'assimilate' has connotations here in Canada especially in places with large First Nations populations like MB. So I can see why they made him change it.

But I am also not even a little bit surprised that people who don't know about that context are using this as freeze peach PC culture run amok fodder.
 

Brandon F

Well congratulations! You got yourself caught!
oh man, the borg references are even right there

plate.jpg

Actually expected the Enterprise or the Trek logo or something on the plate itself. I can absolutely understand why some would take offense as those unfamiliar will have no idea any of this is a Star Trek reference. It really looks like a typical plate and having "Resistance is Futile" under Assimilate can be easily misunderstood. The Borg part isn't as legible nor grabs attention to the eyes.
 
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