Situation Normal: SNAFU license plate allowed to stay
By David Menzies
SNAFU is commonly-known as a cheeky acronym that traces its roots to the U.S. Military. It stands for, “Situation Normal, All F-----d Up.”
SNAFU was definitely the operative word in the Yukon earlier this week when the territory demanded that Douglas Potter, a resident of Riverdale, had to relinquish his vanity plate bearing the letters “SNAFU.”
According to the Whitehorse Daily Star, last spring, Potter applied for (and received) his SNAFU plate without any, well, SNAFUs occurring.
However, last week, he received a letter ordering him to return the plate by April 15 because of its “offensive language” connotations. Potter took delivery of the letter shortly after one of his friends was denied the plate, TARFU (Things Are Really F----- Up.)
Alas, apparently the government was so embarrassed by the attention the story generated it promptly flip-flopped: SNAFU will be permitted to stay. As well, the TARFU plate will be issued after all.
Government spokesman Matt King said the registrar of motor vehicles decided to review the SNAFU matter – even without a formal appeal being filed by Potter.
Evidently, both SNAFU and TARFU appear on a so-called “blue list” of licence plate terms which are prohibited for a variety of reasons ranging from profane language to racial slurs.
The list is 51 pages long and flags more than 3,000 verboten terms. Aside from the usual vulgar words, SALT appears on the list given this term is used by some to describe heroin in a powder form.
While SNAFU is on the list, the plate had been issued by mistake. (Now that’s irony with a capital i.)
But the SNAFU and TARFU ban quickly became a SNAFU and a TARFU for the government given these words are commonplace names in the Yukon. (Examples: Snafu Lake and Tarfu Campground.)
How could the government ban SNAFU and TARFU on licence plates when these same words appear on official government literature, numerous critics pondered aloud?
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While Potter was ready to challenge the government’s decision to revoke the plate, he did offer praise to the territory for the great job it does in keeping the Snafu campground in good condition.
“I really encourage people to go out there and go fishing,” he says.
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