Vanity Plates: Have We Gone Too Far?

I'll throw this out there right up front. I'm not a fan of vanity plates. There was the great "Assman" episode of Seinfeld that proved that vanity plates can be dangerous, but short of a good chuckle they pretty much annoy me. I don't need to know that you're a doctor. I can tell that by your driving. And I don't need to know you're a Bills fan. I can that tell by your driving. And the latest one I've seen, I don't care that you're a NASCAR fan. I can tell by the slack jaw and protruding forehead. (At least that's how I used to tell.)

On my way to work today we see a nice late model Jetta. Excellent shape...very clean. And then my eyes are drawn to the license plate.

DALEJUNR.

I laugh to myself. Damn, another stupid NASCAR fan. Spending money on a vanity plate to show their allegiance to Dale jr. Then I thought, "Wow, that means that DALEJR was already taken." If you can't get the "cool" version of the plate you're better off just going with something else like 1DUMB R3DN3CK.

My next thought was, "Oh my....shouldn't that plate be on a '89 Monte Carlo SS?" The growing population of hardcore NASCAR fans is really a bit alarming. It's not just your normal overall wearin', Budweiser swillin' crew. There is a newer, more refined fan. And that scares the hell out of me.

Case in point, the Jetta was driven by a well dressed late-20 something female, probably on her way to work at a bank. I am afraid.....very afraid. They could be right next to me and I won't even know it.