Entertainment

Man Named Assman Was Told His Name Was Offensive, So He Put It On His Truck

ANDRE FORGET/AFP/Getty Images

Jacob Orgel Contributor
Font Size:

The government denied David Assman a personalized license plate featuring his last name because it contained an explicit term for rear end, so he slapped it on the rear end of his truck.

After hearing from the Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI) that his own last name was an “unacceptable slogan” and losing a follow-up appeal, Assman — prounounced “OSS-men” — etched a massive decal featuring the name right above his license plate. (RELATED: ‘Grabher’ License Plate Called ‘Socially Unacceptable’ In Nova Scotia)

The design is meant to imitate what his personalized plate would have looked like, only much bigger, for good measure.

“It’s just a name and censorship should be out of the window,” Assman told Yahoo News. “It upsets me, but I’m not one of those guys to take offense to it.”

The Canadian man said his government seems to want to appease those who would take offense to such a name rather than allow him to express himself how he desires, a motive that he believes has manifested in unnecessary censorship. (RELATED: ICE To Start Scanning License Plates)

Tyler McMurchy, a spokesperson for the SGI, explained his agency’s policy to the Edmonton Sun.

“Even if a word is someone’s name and pronounced differently than the offensive version, that’s not something that would be apparent to other motorists who will see the plate,” he said.

The striking last name has a history of bringing attention to Saskatchewan.

Late-night talk show host David Letterman did a segment in 1995 that covered the story of Dick Assman, a Regina gas station worker who displayed his name on a massive sign outside of his Petro-Canada. Letterman discovered him in an old news clipping, included him in a running gag and brought him into the studio.

The name might be funny to some, but David Assman got the last laugh when he took his grievances to Facebook. His post featuring the design has been shared over 4000 times.