# Censored License Plates? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 30, 2002, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/censored-license-plates/106512 "2002-04-30T17:57:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2002, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/censored-license-plates/106512/41 "2002-05-03T09:49:01Z")
Back in -85, when I was an intern producer for a radio station in Chicago, we had a visit from pornstar Seka. Her vanity plate was **PEN 15**. Amazing they let it pass… ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2002, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/censored-license-plates/106512/42 "2002-05-03T11:51:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Slacker \* > \*\* > > Maybe “fuck off and die, motherfucker?” (just a stab) \*\* That’s it. BTW, I think it’s “mother-fucker”, as per the movie “Foul Play”. :D:D ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2002, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/censored-license-plates/106512/43 "2002-05-03T16:22:03Z")
About five or so years ago, the California DMV recalled (or were trying to recall) all vanity plates with “DAGO” in them. Apparently, younger generation Italian Americans got the plates to display Italian pride, while the older ones still see the term as offensive. When was the last time you heard the term DAGO used outside of the movies, or the dago tires joke? A school teacher got caught up in the recall. Her plate was, appropriately, PEDAGOG. ---
**Author:** ![Blown\_Injected](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@Blown\_Injected](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blown_Injected)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2002, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/censored-license-plates/106512/44 "2002-05-03T18:53:06Z")
On a heavily moddified Cadillac 1FASTMF, possible that it was only on the front; not a real issue tag. ---
**Author:** ![evilhanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba8739/32.png) [@evilhanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/evilhanz)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2002, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/censored-license-plates/106512/45 "2002-05-03T19:01:53Z")
I saw a geat plate today: FIDLDD 🙂 Whenever I hear that expression, I’m reminded of Montgomery Burns spinning in circles hopped up on painkillers. ---
**Author:** ![jiHymas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/439d5e/32.png) [@jiHymas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jiHymas)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2002, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/censored-license-plates/106512/46 "2002-05-04T02:16:59Z")
Two cases in Ontario come to mind. One guy (sympathetic to the Palestinian uprising) had NTFADA taken away, while a guy named Herzog (who I believe is fairly well known, but obviously not by me since I can’t remember his first name or what he’s known for) had ZOG, his nickname, taken away as being code for Zionist Occupational Government - another sensitive mid-East related term. Strong feelings either way are misplaced. What’s the big deal on a licence plate? Anthing can be spraypainted on the bumpers if it means so much. ---
**Author:** ![columbusCL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecc23a/32.png) [@columbusCL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/columbusCL)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2002, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/censored-license-plates/106512/47 "2002-05-04T03:45:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ElwoodCuse \* > \*\*I also recall a bunch of people returning their plates that had “FAT” for the letter part. I can’t recall which state, though. \*\* 'Twas Tennessee. [http://www.unb.ca/bruns/0001/issue2/nuts/03fat.html](http://www.unb.ca/bruns/0001/issue2/nuts/03fat.html) ---
**Author:** ![lawoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@lawoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawoot)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2002, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/censored-license-plates/106512/48 "2002-05-04T05:39:32Z")
I’vr seen articles on plates refering to atheism ( **8EIST** , for example) being banned because of Christians complaining about them. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2002, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/censored-license-plates/106512/49 "2002-05-04T15:54:34Z")
No cite for this, but I remember hearing a story that during the Desert Storm period a woman whose license plate read I RAKU was occasionally harassed by other drivers because they assumed her license plate meant she was some sort of Iraq sympathizer. It actually referred to her hobby, a type of Japanese ceramic called Raku. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/censored-license-plates/106512.md?page=2)