I miss vanity plates.I don't mean that I miss seeing them. That's certainly not the case as there are more and more of them on the roads these days than ever before.
What I miss is the name vanity license plate. It had a certain pejorative connotation that I miss. The phrase personalized license plate doesn't have that same sort of negative feeling. It seems much more acceptable, much less vain, and I don't like that change.
I liked that when I grew up, anybody who had a non-random license plate was vain. Now they're just choosing to express themselves - something I've mentioned my disdain for in the past. We don't need to know what you think. We don't need to know who you are, what your job is, or what you think is funny at every moment of your day.
Don't put it on a t-shirt.
Don't put it on your bumper sticker.
Don't slap a magnetic ribbon on your car.
Don't put it on your vanity plate.
Shut up.
And if you're really desperate to tell everbody what you're thinking every moment of your life, start a blog. At least that way only the people who care have to read it.
2 comments:
Is not blog a vain?
www.pl8s.org
Blogs are certainly an example of vanity.
I sort of addressed that in my last paragraph and stille believe that blogs are primarily vanity projects. We write because we think we have something to say.
My only defense - and it's probably a tenuous at best - is that at least with my blog, I'm not going around telling people my opinions. I'm writing my opinions in a forum that allows anyone to come and go, read or not read as they please.
Bumper stickers, t-shirts, vanity plates all take the person's message and bring it to the reader. Blogs, put the opinion out there and allow people to come find it if they want to or to completely ignore it if they choose.
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