Tuesday, May 02, 2017

Canada Man Ordered To Surrender "Offensive" Star Trek / Borg License Plate (ASIMIL8); And: As If Losing Your Individuality Were The Worst Thing...

link
   A Canadian man’s Star Trek-inspired license plate has been revoked after his public insurance company received complaints that it was offensive to indigenous people. The two-year-old plate, which reads “ASIMIL8,” is a sly reference to the Borg, evil aliens in Star Trek who “assimilate” their prey and go by the motto “Resistance is Futile.”
   Manitoba local Nick Troller was informed by an agent from Manitoba Public Insurance on Wednesday that they had received complaints from two people about the word “assimilate,” which they claimed is offensive to minorities. He was then served a letter informing him that “it has been brought to the attention of this office that the personalized plate ASIMIL8 is considered offensive,” and was ordered to surrender it immediately.
   It is, of course, imperative here, as always, to remember that there is no such thing as political correctness (and also that political correctness is good, and just, and merely ordinary politeness/civility, etc....) To deny that is the epitome of political incorrectness....
 
   This reminds me of a basically unrelated thing: years ago a lefty friend of mine was commenting on the political incorrectness of the idea of the Borg. She was arguing that ST:TNG was demonizing collectivism. "As if," she said, laughing,"losing your individuality were the worst thing that could happen to you..."

4 Comments:

Blogger Aa said...

Losing ones individuality is pretty high on the 'worst things' list. I watched a family member succumb to Dementia and slowly, then more quickly, all those things that were part of them started to vanish, then were gone.

9:41 AM  
Blogger Winston Smith said...

This is very retrograde thinking, Aa.

10:05 AM  
Blogger Pete Mack said...

It seems just possible that your friend was making a straightfaced ironic self-deprecating joke. I have known left wingers to do so. (Was she perhaps British?)

11:24 PM  
Blogger Winston Smith said...

Nope, she was serious.

1:19 PM  

Post a Comment

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

<< Home