# Discriminated against for residing in the Isle of Man. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 2, 2007, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discriminated-against-for-residing-in-the-isle-of-man/417818 "2007-09-02T17:23:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2007, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discriminated-against-for-residing-in-the-isle-of-man/417818/21 "2007-09-03T00:20:02Z")
[QUOTE=Lobsang] Yep, in many respects the IOM is just another county of the UK. [/QUOTE] Financial institutions and regulations are very different from postcodes or freeview. Other companies may have finance setups through institutions which do offer IOM services, sure. Like it or not, it’s a small place, and maybe Dell have decided it’s not somewhere worth targeting (didn’t the Manx government threaten to switch over to entirely open source software not long ago?) Look on the bright side. All that time saving money, you’d otherwise spend uninstalling crap off that Dell which they insist on putting there (I went through this with my parents’ recent bottom-end XP laptop, which was unusable with the rubbish piled onto it, but runs fine now) ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2007, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discriminated-against-for-residing-in-the-isle-of-man/417818/22 "2007-09-03T00:42:16Z")
Whenever I ate cereal as a wee lad, I used to feel sorry for all those kids in Alaska and Hawaii. My heart goes out to you. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2007, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discriminated-against-for-residing-in-the-isle-of-man/417818/23 "2007-09-03T00:44:12Z")
[QUOTE=Rhythmdvl] Whenever I ate cereal as a wee lad, I used to feel sorry for all those kids in Alaska and Hawaii. [/QUOTE] While they were probably out surfing or…something. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2007, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discriminated-against-for-residing-in-the-isle-of-man/417818/24 "2007-09-03T00:44:25Z")
[QUOTE=Lobsang] edit too late for edit window: Me and ‘saving up’ do not go. I have througout my life been a mortal enemy of ‘saving up’. I have never ‘saved up’ for anything ever. I am incapable of it. My brain would trigger the cessation of the universe if it processed the phrase “I will save up to buy this” [/QUOTE] I’m the opposite. I won’t buy anything unless I already have the money for it. Debt is something I avoid as much as possible. Saving up is a good thing. It’s a peace of mind thing. Though the initial step is “going without”, which isn’t much fun. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2007, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discriminated-against-for-residing-in-the-isle-of-man/417818/25 "2007-09-03T01:59:35Z")
[QUOTE=Alive At Both Ends] The Isle of Man has the same sort of status as, say, the Falkland Islands. It’s just closer. But it has its own government and legal system. There’s no real reason why a company which deals with UK customers should deal in the same way with people based in the IOM. [/QUOTE] I see that others have already spoken up about this point, but I’m still curious about something: I thought that one of the proximate causes of the Falkland Islands War was the fact that residents there weren’t considered citizens of the Commonwealth, for the purposes of immigration between the various Commonwealth countries and territories. The point being made in the reading I’d done on the subject that Falkland Islanders were the only European stock people who were in that particular boat, rather than, say, residents of Hong Kong, who were considered too Asian to be proper Commonwealth citizens. Does this mean that Manxmen and women aren’t Commonwealth citizens, either? ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2007, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discriminated-against-for-residing-in-the-isle-of-man/417818/26 "2007-09-03T06:29:36Z")
The Isle of Man and the Channel Islands are treated as part of the UK under British nationality legislation. It’s too early in the morning for me to get my head around the concept of [British Overseas Territories citizenship](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Overseas_Territories_citizen), but you’re welcome to try! ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2007, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discriminated-against-for-residing-in-the-isle-of-man/417818/27 "2007-09-03T08:16:57Z")
[QUOTE=An Gadaí] Most insurance companies that advertise on British TV have the disclaimer “Offer not available in Northern Ireland.” [/QUOTE] Nor do any number of financial and legal services, I often wondered if people on the “mainland” think us to be too much at risk from terrorist attacks to be financially viable 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2007, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discriminated-against-for-residing-in-the-isle-of-man/417818/28 "2007-09-03T13:35:29Z")
[QUOTE=Rhythmdvl] Whenever I ate cereal as a wee lad, I used to feel sorry for all those kids in Alaska and Hawaii. My heart goes out to you. [/QUOTE] I’m being discriminated against for not living in Alaska. Where’s my oil revenue check? ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2007, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discriminated-against-for-residing-in-the-isle-of-man/417818/29 "2007-09-03T16:23:28Z")
I can’t buy any yummy smoked meat from [Schwartz’s](http://www.schwartzsdeli.com/index2.html) in Montreal because of the U.S. embargo or rules or whatever on foreign meat. ☹ I can drive there and bring it back across the border for personal consumption, but I can’t have it shipped here for personal consumption. 😕 :mad: On Wiki, it says you can order it into the States, but when we e-mailed them not three weeks ago they said no. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2007, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discriminated-against-for-residing-in-the-isle-of-man/417818/30 "2007-09-04T04:02:07Z")
[QUOTE=GorillaMan] That’s a [triskelion](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triskelion), apparently. And the Sicilian flag, on that page, looks like the Manx one after the Manx Tourist Board have done some rebranding… [/QUOTE] A triskelion, you say? Hmmmm. Reminds me of a certain quaint planet… [The Gamesters of Triskelion - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gamesters_of_Triskelion) ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2007, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discriminated-against-for-residing-in-the-isle-of-man/417818/31 "2007-09-04T04:10:20Z")
I desparately wanted to make a crack about **Lobsang** ’s choice of home, but, it being one of the coolest places on the planet, I can’t. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2007, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discriminated-against-for-residing-in-the-isle-of-man/417818/32 "2007-09-05T23:46:22Z")
[QUOTE=dropzone] I desparately wanted to make a crack about **Lobsang** ’s choice of home, but, it being one of the coolest places on the planet, I can’t. ☹ [/QUOTE] I don’t know. The Fast Show managed it. They have a short scetch of a man standing on some rocks in a mac and the drenching rain saying “Come to the… Isle of Man” It does have some pretty dreadful weather at times. And I am sure the rain is not only sentient but has a grudge on me personally. It has some rather weird laws too. Not only _can_ you shoot a scotsman on site, but you are _obliged_ to. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2007, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discriminated-against-for-residing-in-the-isle-of-man/417818/33 "2007-09-05T23:51:53Z")
Doesn’t it also have unlimited speeds on many roads? Only limited by the possibility of staying on them (which is quite limiting)? ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2007, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discriminated-against-for-residing-in-the-isle-of-man/417818/34 "2007-09-05T23:52:22Z")
[QUOTE=Lobsang] It has some rather weird laws too. Not only _can_ you shoot a scotsman on site, but you are _obliged_ to. [/QUOTE] I think that’s the law pretty much everywhere in the civilized world. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discriminated-against-for-residing-in-the-isle-of-man/417818/35 "2007-09-06T00:05:00Z")
[QUOTE=GorillaMan] Doesn’t it also have unlimited speeds on many roads? Only limited by the possibility of staying on them (which is quite limiting)? [/QUOTE] They put a stop to that. The TT course had no speed limit but now it does. FYI I got fined one hundred and sixty for 15mph over a speed limit (30) on a long straight wide un-suburban road immediately after a 40mph roundabout. I’d say about 60% of manx drivers break the speed limit by about 10mph on average. I guess they know where the likely speed traps are. Personally I don’t because I don’t want another f\*\*koff fine. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discriminated-against-for-residing-in-the-isle-of-man/417818/36 "2007-09-06T01:05:39Z")
£160? Ouch. Assuming it’s also a three-points-and-insurance-hike issue. If it’s just the fine, I’d pay up front. Set up toll booths at Douglas ferry port, dammit! ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discriminated-against-for-residing-in-the-isle-of-man/417818/37 "2007-09-06T22:30:25Z")
I did get the three points. I forgot to mention that. But apparently the points disappear after two years. I did ask the lady at the court why the fine is so ridiculously much higher than it is in England. Her polite response was ‘different judicial system’. No shit. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discriminated-against-for-residing-in-the-isle-of-man/417818/38 "2007-09-06T22:36:05Z")
[QUOTE=Lobsang] I have been oggling the core2 quadcore 2.44ghz, 4 gig of ram, 640gb raid (2x 320gb) hd, dual geforce 8600 gts 256mb (or single 8800 gtx 750mb, whichever is better) [/QUOTE] Ya know, if I’ve said this once, I’ve said it a thousand times! ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discriminated-against-for-residing-in-the-isle-of-man/417818/39 "2007-09-06T22:43:44Z")
[QUOTE=Lobsang] They put a stop to that. The TT course had no speed limit but now it does [/QUOTE] Damn, another road I will never visit with a powerful sports car is off limits to me :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Algher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Algher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algher)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2007, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discriminated-against-for-residing-in-the-isle-of-man/417818/40 "2007-09-07T00:46:20Z")
[QUOTE=Aesiron] Prices for services and goods are often much higher in Alaska and Hawaii and it’s not uncommon for national sweepstakes to exclude the residents from any winnings and they’re actual US states. I’m betting it’s much the same and probably worse for the territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, which, from my limited understanding, is much more similar to the relationship between the UK and the Isle of Man. Such is life in an outlying region of a country. [/QUOTE] My favorite is when the ad says “only good in the Continental United States.” Friend of mine in Anchorage (I rented his basement) was an attorney and he regularly got the discount / deal given that Alaska is on the North American Continent. The CONTIGUOUS US is just the lower 48, but the CONTINENTAL includes Alaska, but dumps Hawaii. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discriminated-against-for-residing-in-the-isle-of-man/417818.md?page=1)