I’m a student of history, ancient and modern. I see things, and hear things, and think about related issues from the past, connecting a lot of dots along the way.
As a rideshare driver, I’m on the road a lot, and I see a lot of cars. One of my autistic delights is “collecting” personalised number plates.
I’ve seen personalised plates that are downright funny, eyebrow-raising and alarming.
For instance, “I’M OK”. Really? That’s great to hear.
The owners of “HOTDOC” and “IMSEXY”? Well, ‘nough said. I’ll leave those right there.
LETSGO is a good one, but the variations of LESSGO and LESSSGO are mind-boggling. Phonetically ok but linguistically horrid.
“1 BREATH”. That one stumped me. Or is it meant to be “I BREATHE”? Either way, it’s open to interpretation.
“RED FLAG” on a sports car? Thanks for the warning. Everyone should steer well clear of that one.
“HRH-01” on a Rolls Royce. It’s not the Governor’s car, so I’d guess that the owner has a very healthy ego to use the initials for Her/His Royal Highness.
The best? “TA EX”. That must have been one helluva divorce and property settlement.
But now, we leave the humorous head-scratchers and move on to the personalised plates that give me pause.
“ROMMEL” on a white Volkswagen Amarok. I noticed the Teutonic eagle sticker on the back window before I noticed the personalised plate.
Why?
Erwin Rommel was “the People’s Marshal”, serving his country in World War I and World War II. He passed ignominiously in 1944, given poison by Hitler after a failed assassination attempt on Hitler.
Rommel, famously known as the ‘Desert Fox’ for his North African campaigns, was also involved in the Normandy theatre of WWII.
It is clear that Rommel was a well-respected officer in the German army during WWII, known for his strategic brilliance and leadership. While he reportedly did not fully subscribe to Nazi ideology, his disagreements with Hitler were primarily focused on military tactics, particularly the preservation of life and the well-being of his regiments. Despite these reservations, Rommel remained loyal to his role as a soldier, serving Nazi Germany effectively. As a product of his time, his actions were influenced by the complex political and military circumstances of the era, which ultimately tied him to a regime he did not fully support.
This isn’t an endorsement of Rommel, but rather a reflection on how history—especially its more complex and darker parts—still echoes today.
Seeing Rommel’s name on a Volkswagen Amarok, with an eagle sticker on the back window, it spoke to me of Germanic pride, with perhaps a hint of imperial nostalgia.
So, what was the other personalised plate that gave me pause? “KOOLAID.” That word immediately took me to the Jonestown massacre.
What was the Jonestown massacre? That goes back to 18 November, 1978, when cult leader Jim Jones, in an act of murder-suicide, killed more than 900 of his followers by coercing them to drink a cyanide-spiked cordial. It gave us the phrase “drank the Kool-Aid,” as a metaphor for blindly following a particular ideology or person.
So, while “Kool-Aid” is still a popular product and no doubt has merchandising programs in the US, it is not available in Australia and seeing it on a personalised plate on an Australian car was jarring.
Personalised plates, also known as vanity plates, can say what you want. Mine were GUE-72, leaning into my Francophilia, where “gue” means river crossing or ford… which is my surname. But some might see the Latin root of “guerre”, meaning war. So, no, not war, just the meaning of my surname, en Francais.
Personalised plates can be funny, bold, or even unsettling. But sometimes, they remind us that history—whether in jest or in earnest—still rides with us on the road today.
So, what catches your eye out there?
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