In the great state of Alabama, the Department of Motor Vehicles is coming under fire for approving a personalized license plate that many find offensive.
As you can see in the picture, the plate reads, “NOHOMO.”
I’m assuming the individual who ordered this plate is not a robot speaking out against his evil homosapien masters, but instead, an individual that isn’t a fan of naked man-on-man Greco-Roman wrestling.
After a photo and a “hate speech” complaint made its way to the DMV and the Alabama Department of Revenue, which approves or rejects license plates based on whether or not they’re offensive, a representative told reporters that human error allowed this particular message to be approved, and that it will now be recalled.
You Can’t Stop Hatred
Hate speech is a tricky thing. What one might find offensive, another might not.
Don’t get me wrong. Any person who spends money to have “NOHOMO” put on his license plate is kind of a hate-mongering asshole. But there’s no law against that. If there were, there’d be a lot of vacant seats in Congress.
Truth is, I support using what many call “hate speech.” Because by censoring “hate speech,” the government actually makes it harder for me to differentiate between folks who are honorable and righteous and folks who are ugly, hateful and mean-spirited.
You see, most hate mongers don’t wear white hoods or walk around in “God Hates Fags,” t-shirts. No, most hate mongers keep to themselves because political correctness and “hate speech” laws silence them. But I don’t want them to be silent. I want them to speak their minds.
I like to know who or what I’m dealing with upfront!
Besides, even if the government wants to stop hate speech, it can’t stop hatred.
This doesn’t mean we, as individuals, have to accept hatred. After all, we don’t lack the ability to think logically. We don’t lack the ability to be compassionate. And we certainly don’t need a group of bureaucrats deciding what we do and don’t find offensive.
Yes, I think a license plate that reads “NOHOMO” is offensive. It’s offensive to me as an individual who believes in treating all people with dignity and respect, and it’s offensive to my many gay and lesbian brothers and sisters who are constantly persecuted for doing nothing more than being themselves.
But I’m equally offended by a government that seeks to overrule the first amendment by dictating restrictions on free speech. This only exacerbates the problem and facilitates more hate and intolerance.
Of course, I suppose one could argue that because personalized license plates must be produced by the state, that the state does have the right to reject what it believes is offensive. And perhaps there’s something to that. What do you think?
