Vanity Plates, Sometimes Misunderstood

I liked vanity plates when they were the new thing on the road. It was fun because not everyone would spend the money for them and when you seen one, you had to figure out what they were abbreviating. Now I either forget to try to figure them out or I always wonder how much people have paid for them. The problem I started having with them is that you really have to know what the owner is trying to convey. Some of the "what a great classic car this is, "HMI-68" is lost on me because I don't know all of the jargon from old classic cars. If it is pretty simple and common place I think it is entertaining, but I think some of them "you had to have been there, to understand the punch line". I guess that's why it's good that the government regulates them because in this day and age I can't imagine what they would say if left to our own devices.

It is perplexing how much you have to pay for these when you could really just have a bumper sticker or a window sign. And of course those can say whatever you want to say, instead of everyone looking at you funny when they misinterpret your letter and number gibberish. If it happens too often that you get funny looks when you park your car, you may want to check it out. Now with texting, etc. things may not mean the same thing they did a few years back.

It is fun when you are parked in traffic trying to figure out what the letters all mean. And if the car moves before you get the puzzle figured out, well, you just have to guess or make up your own meaning to the letters and numbers. I would like to know if people actually ask the owners in person what they mean, I guess if it's a real classic they could be car celebrity status in the neighborhood where they park or work.

It is funny that these plates are so common now and when it all started there was such a big deal made of how it was going to lead us all down that slippery slope to Hell. Well, it didn't really impact us all that much and that's a good thing. It is a medium that is here to stay, vanity never does go out of style, I guess.