"The best place on what?"

WMD: When is a licence plate a propaganda tool? When it's found in B.C., or so I say in my latest column found here.

Thanks again to continuing uncertainty about the longevity of the link, the column is reproduced below:

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(Published in the Vancouver Courier Wednesday, September 12, 2007)

In B.C., licence plates identify registered motor vehicles. They're also propaganda.
The latest reminder of this use of personal vehicle space is the recent Olympic specialty plate, available for sale from ICBC since the spring as an alternative to the standard issue plate. Instead of the familiar "Beautiful British Columbia" slogan worn by plates in this province for more than four decades, the 2010 plates feature an image of Mount Garibaldi, the Games logo and the catchphrase "The best place on earth." It's the same catchphrase the B.C. Liberal government used to rebrand B.C. for both domestic and tourist consumption. You may remember the commercials of ordinary but overjoyed British Columbians standing by pristine mountain meadows and coastal fjords proclaiming how happy they are to exist in God's favoured space. Presumably, none of them works in the forest industry.

I hated that phrase when it first appeared on my TV, and I dislike it no less now that it's appearing on our roads. It's a needless boast, and to anyone who's travelled the world even slightly, untrue. Our landscape--pine beetle infestation, sewage runoff and expanding acres of suburban blacktop notwithstanding--is beautiful. And my how we're rich. But in our current fevered monied state, we forget how vulnerable the good times are to forces beyond our control. All we need is a drop in global commodity prices, trouble in Asian markets, or more mortgage and stock trouble in the U.S., and the best place on earth will look like the best place to leave in search of work. When the gas tank runs low, that plate will become a cruel joke.

But according to Christopher Garrish, who runs the fascinating website BCPL8S.ca, using licence plates as political marketing is nothing new. Garrish, a trained historian who lives in Penticton in the Okanagan Valley and works as a town planner for the regional district, started the website three years ago to mark the 100th anniversary of the first registered motor vehicle in B.C. Since then, he's compiled a geekily exhaustive list, complete with photos, of the hundreds of varieties of plates that have been used through the decades. His enthusiasm for the subject is infectious and, for outraged columnists, moderating. He notes that the "Beautiful" slogan was introduced in 1964 by the W.A.C. Bennett government as a marketing tool to draw tourists to B.C. Even then, Garrish reminded me, the uptight complained the slogan was too frothy.

The government of Wacky's son Bill ramped up the use of plates for political ends when it engineered the placement of a wavy version of the B.C. flag between the registration numbers. It happened to be the same flag symbol used by the then-governing Social Credit party. Like any longstanding, arrogant regime, Bennett and his cronies saw no difference between the controlling party and the government machinery they ran. Stylistically dated today, the flag remains on our plates as a reminder of past hubris. Where are the Socreds now?

As it turns out, they morphed into the Liberals, which is why we're getting another new licence plate catchphrase with political overtones. Garrish told me in an email that he's "not too fussed" by the new plates. He thinks the "Beautiful" slogan is overdue for retirement, and he'd love to see the aging Socred-era flag gone. He also points out that the Olympic specialty plates have proved popular. As of August, ICBC reported selling 45,000 Olympic plates to drivers willing to pay $35 for the privilege of participating in a government-orchestrated PR campaign.

Garrish says the slogan could be worse. The Bill Bennett government considered replacing the "Beautiful" slogan with "Supernatural," which was the tuneless Socred marketing slogan of the day. Garrish has also lived in Australia, where he says the state governments have a habit of hamfisted slogans for plates. Queensland actually called itself the "Smart State" on its plates, and the Australian Capital Territory, the seat of the federal government, quickly killed its introduction of "Canberra: Feel the Power," when it realized Canberrans were afraid their car would be keyed if they crossed state lines. Think of how Albertans would react to Ontario plates bearing "Canada's Centre."

Garrish advises us to get used to the new "Best place" phrase. It's already on consular plates, and he believes all plates issued in B.C. will move to the new slogan as an Olympic tie-in. In a province where shameless propaganda is as regular as the rain, I wouldn't bet against him.

Today's bLINKit: You can find Garrish's site here.

Comments

[Mr Squid]

Well, of all the places that I have lived BC may well be the best. For all its problems it sure beats Maryland, or Indiana, or southern Ontario, or...

[yeismeload]

and that sums it up entirely...Maryland, Indiana, Ontario...not exactly representing a wide range of difference. Ok, they're not the same province/state I know, but they're not exactly THAT different either. What about Monaco, Korinthos, Canberra, Perth, Madrid, Dublin etc. I can think of plenty of cities that offer more diversity of interests than Vancouver. Fair enough, BC has amazing natural landscapes and first class cuisine, but it sorely lacks cultural events, museums or night life. The concept of "live and let live" is virtually non-existant anymore in Vancouver, although that was not always the case, as everyone feels somehow entitled to meddle in the affairs of others. If you're an urban person, comparing Van with somewhere like NYC, London or Tokyo is just laughable. The Plate should read:

"BC Possibly the Best Food/Nature in the World, and a nice place to live in the summer"