Oregon DMV declares last name offensive

Miss Anthrope

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Apparently "Dink" is a racial slur or possibly sexually obscene, so the Udink family is out of luck with their vanity plates.

House, who serves on the panel, said the reasons were the sexual references that can be associated with the name, which can be treated as a verb.
"DINK has several derogatory meanings," wrote panel member Yvonne Bell. She said it also can be a racial slur, especially toward Vietnamese.
House said the "U" in the front could be construed as "You."
It seems unreal to Mike Udink, whose name is Dutch. He says it is a common name in The Netherlands.
"Since when can a panel dictate whether your name's offensive or not?" asked Udink, a lineman for Pacific Power.
The family wonders why the plates were fine for years, then recalled.
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[hit and run]
Yep, Udink is a Dutch name. Kok is also a Dutch name.
And no, I'm not related to Yvonne Bell.
[/hit and run]
 
It is a slur towards Vietnamese (used by some of my fellows in VietNam). I do think though that the family should be able to use the full (Udink) version as it is their real name. And since anyone reading the plate is not likely to makle that association (unless it was done as U dink which I don't think was the plan).

I assume (note that word carefully) that dink may have come from the phrase "dinky(i) dau" for "bad".
 
When I was a little kid, a teenage brother and sister called me names once. One called me a "dork", the other, a "dinkus". I never did figure out what a "dinkus" was.
 
And now, the punch line.



























Wait for it...
















DMV: "...which reminds me. We also have to go have a chat with Mr. and Mrs. Usukass."
 
There was a guy in CA who drove a nice BMW convertible of which he was proud. He had the license plate "TOPLSS" until somebody's sensitivities were offended and he had to turn it in. We're just a sensitive bunch here in America. Oh the horror!
 
Makes me wonder if they'll make Penn remove his 'atheist' license plate, that's got to offend someone also. Makes me sad to live in a country of whiners.
 
I find YKO-6L1 highly offensive, as well as YB1-X7X, and frankly most license plates in a xxx-xxx format, I think everyone who uses one should have it changed to satiate my freedom to not be offended by their plates. :D
 
A few years ago I remember reading about one state that had the following problem looming on the horizon; the alpha sequence on the plates was quickly approching the point where it would read SEX.

It was the source of many, many arguments about whether to skip and go to SEY or ignore it.
 
Alareth said:
A few years ago I remember reading about one state that had the following problem looming on the horizon; the alpha sequence on the plates was quickly approching the point where it would read SEX.

It was the source of many, many arguments about whether to skip and go to SEY or ignore it.
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Was it so long ago that it spelled ay es es (or dare i say en eye gee) that they had forgotten how they had solved the problem the first time?
 
Additionally, 'DINK' is military slang meaning a family with two incomes and no children. (Dual income, no kids.)
 
Dink is the name of the girl Bond is with in Florida in "Goldfinger."

"Dink, this is Felix. Felix, this is Dink."
"Hi, Dink"

I had a good friend in college who was an ardent feminist (and lesbian) and Bond fan, and after we saw that movie, I started calling her Dink, just because she was so much the complete opposite of the bimbo in the movie (like calling a fat man "Tiny"). Her mom asked, why do you let him do that? She said, it could have been worse, he could have started calling her Goodhead.

She moved to NY after college, and I haven't talked to her for a few years. I miss my Dink.
 
pgwenthold said:
Not rhetorical. What does Waffen mean (my deutsch is weak)
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I think it means Weapon, not really sure why they were called that. It was the branch of the SS headed by Himmler. They included Hitler's personal body guard so they were supposedly the fanatics of the fanatics.
 
This reminds me of when an Australian Catholic School refused to accept a family with the last name 'Hell'.

How can a name be offensive anyway? How is ANYONE going to be offended by a guy with the name Udink??
 
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