They did the right thing in returning the plate, its enough with the politically correct bullshit, the plate said "we are borg" ....
A constitutional rights group has filed a lawsuit on behalf of a Manitoba man whose Star Trek licence plate was banned because it was deemed “offensive” to Indigenous people.
The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF) filed an application last Thursday calling for the court to order Manitoba Public Insurance to return Nick Troller’s ASIMIL8 licence plate. The Winnipeg man used the licence plate for two years before the provincial Crown corporation rescinded it in April, following two complaints from Indigenous people.
Troller said the licence plate is clearly a reference to the Borg, a fictional race from Star Trek that forcibly assimilates other cultures. The plate holder says, “WE ARE THE BORG” and “RESISTANCE IS FUTILE.”
“The word ‘assimilate’ is just a word — it is neither good nor bad. We assimilate nutrients into our bodies in order to live,” Troller said in his affidavit.
JCCF President John Carpay, a former Alberta Wildrose party candidate, said the issue is an abuse of the rights of Canadians.
“It’s another case that pits the charter freedom of expression against the new, phoney right not to be offended,” he said.
But Indigenous activists say Canadians should do more to understand why the word could be considered offensive.
Carpay said he can understand why the plate might offend someone, but the word still shouldn’t be censored.
“There’s a difference between words that are inherently offensive regardless of how you use them, such as vulgarities, obscenities, four-letter words, versus words like ‘war’ or ‘assimilate,’ which can have positive or negative connotations,” he said.
But Anishinaabe Nation member and University of Manitoba assistant professor Niigaan Sinclair called free speech a “bogus argument” and said that Indigenous people are having “a very understandable reaction.”
“You can’t just say whatever you want to say without any worries of consequence or responsibility,” he said.
“If Indigenous peoples feel triggered by a licence plate or a sports logo, or the name of a historical figure on a building, Canadians would be best served to listen to why Indigenous peoples are triggered, and show some care and sensitivity when they express themselves,” he said.
http://nationalpost.com/g00/news/ca...r=http://nationalpost.com/g00/?i10c.referrer=
A constitutional rights group has filed a lawsuit on behalf of a Manitoba man whose Star Trek licence plate was banned because it was deemed “offensive” to Indigenous people.
The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF) filed an application last Thursday calling for the court to order Manitoba Public Insurance to return Nick Troller’s ASIMIL8 licence plate. The Winnipeg man used the licence plate for two years before the provincial Crown corporation rescinded it in April, following two complaints from Indigenous people.
Troller said the licence plate is clearly a reference to the Borg, a fictional race from Star Trek that forcibly assimilates other cultures. The plate holder says, “WE ARE THE BORG” and “RESISTANCE IS FUTILE.”
“The word ‘assimilate’ is just a word — it is neither good nor bad. We assimilate nutrients into our bodies in order to live,” Troller said in his affidavit.
JCCF President John Carpay, a former Alberta Wildrose party candidate, said the issue is an abuse of the rights of Canadians.
“It’s another case that pits the charter freedom of expression against the new, phoney right not to be offended,” he said.
But Indigenous activists say Canadians should do more to understand why the word could be considered offensive.
Carpay said he can understand why the plate might offend someone, but the word still shouldn’t be censored.
“There’s a difference between words that are inherently offensive regardless of how you use them, such as vulgarities, obscenities, four-letter words, versus words like ‘war’ or ‘assimilate,’ which can have positive or negative connotations,” he said.
But Anishinaabe Nation member and University of Manitoba assistant professor Niigaan Sinclair called free speech a “bogus argument” and said that Indigenous people are having “a very understandable reaction.”
“You can’t just say whatever you want to say without any worries of consequence or responsibility,” he said.
“If Indigenous peoples feel triggered by a licence plate or a sports logo, or the name of a historical figure on a building, Canadians would be best served to listen to why Indigenous peoples are triggered, and show some care and sensitivity when they express themselves,” he said.
http://nationalpost.com/g00/news/ca...r=http://nationalpost.com/g00/?i10c.referrer=
