I don’t see anything bad in this… 69PWNDU
Apparently I’m not the only person. She had this plate ten years with no problems.
What’s it supposed to say that has Tenn DMV all upset?
You mean besides the obvious sexual reference?
I’m not offended by it, but I can’t imagine the DMV would let 69 anything fly.
I’m aware of what 69 can mean. But I see that number in many contexts without blushing or connecting it to sex.
The other letters seem random to me.
And what in what context do you suppose it is meant here? Looks like a gratuitous sexual reference to me, like something a twelve year old would do, with some L33T thrown in.
ETA: No, the other letters aren’t random.
It’s “69 pwned you”
69PWNDU = 69 pwned you = #69 owned you
owned is a common gamer term for “dominated”
Whether or not it violates any constitutional rights is an interesting question. My understanding is that generally swearing, obscenity and sexual references are not allowed on license plates. Has this ever been challenged?
I’m usually the one laughing at the inadvertent penis shapes on the weather maps.
This time my 12 year-old self missed the meaning on that plate. I understand why it took ten years for the DMV to notice.
That this particular license plate should be considered offensive is IMHO debatable. That it’s a violation of a person’s First Amendment rights not to allow them to have an offensive lincense plate strikes me as ridiculous.
So she may not have realized the connotations of 69, but as a gamer I find that unlikely. She may not have intended it as a sexual reference (I’m skeptical), but most people would read it that way. So it’s a question of whether intent matters, I guess.
I’m just trying to understand the mentality of someone who would sue over this.
It likely isn’t a 1st Amendment violation. SCOTUS has held that government has general power to control content of customised licence plates: upheld a Texas refusal to allow the Confederate battle flag.
(I always think this case is about Chuck Norris taking on the Confederacy.)
Sounds like a Streisand Effect thing. By trying to ban this thing which the vast majority of people wouldn’t be offended by, they’re drawing even more attention to it.
I mean, it’s not like it’s an “NGGR” license plate, and even that could be coincidental.
So she doesn’t even have a case. What a waste of time. Just change it to some other number and move on with life.
I’ve heard the DMV has a naughty list of letter combinations that can’t be used on vanity plates.
The computer flags them.
I’d think it was an athlete who wore a number 69 that dominated a rival team.
What about this one? A few years ago a Canadian man, whose last name is “Grabher”, has had, for a long, long time, vanity plates with “GRABHER”. All was well until someone complained. I’ve lost track on the appeals process but here’s one article on it:
Well the number 69 is banned in the NBA, at least effectively. Nobody has ever worn it and Dennis Rodman was not allowed to have it.
Any request for jersey number needs to be approved by the NBA. Dennis Rodman moved to the Dallas Mavericks in 2000 and requested that he had the number 69 jersey. Mark Cuban was so excited to have Rodman on his team that he agreed and even had some jerseys made up. Even though Cubans purchase of the Dallas Mavericks had yet to be ratified by the NBA. David Stern reviewed Rodmans request and felt the number 69 had negative connotations particular for such a high profile player such as Dennis Rodman.
The NFL allows it, here is a list of players that have worn it:
Quite a few, in fact 28 total players wear it in 2021, which means that all but 6 teams in the NFL have a player wearing that number. (I’m a Seahawks fan and it’s currently won by Tyler Ott, the Pro Bowl long-snapper.)
The NHL allows it though it’s uncommon, here is an article about some players who have worn the number.
It certainly could be a sports reference, but the woman who is suing in the OP’s article claims it celebrates the moon landing. (Which itself could be a sexual reference.)
Looks like it’s still on reserve before the Court of Appeal. The trial court reached the same conclusion as the US Supreme Court:
I was so proud of myself when I managed to sneak one through.
Guess what other name you can’t have on your license plate in Canada?
Your post somehow reminded me of Dick Assman, who was featured on David Letterman’s show. Reading his Wikipedia article, I find:
But it was ok on Seinfeld? Go figger 