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From MSNBC.com: What the ...? N.C. offers new license plates

This is not offensive. "WTF?" or "What the fuck?", for those of us who can handle occasional lack of censorship, is totally benign in this context. Language can cause emotional harm, yes. But the "fuck" word does not hold much gravity to offend. It carries no awful stigma, particularly as part of "WTF?".

"WTF?" is a phrase to convey confusion, disappointment, indifference, and/or surprise. Not hatred or ignorance. It does not call to action ("Go to hell," "Kiss my ass," "Vote Pro-Life"), nor does the "fuck" word, on its own or as the ending of "What the...", degrade or refer to any ethnic, gender, or racial group who could take offense. It refers to sexual intercourse, and so do most episodes of Friends, Seinfeld, and probably much of NBC's programming in the 1990s.

"What the fuck?" may not be appropriate as part of a wedding vow or a dinnertime conversation with new girlfriend/boyfriend's parents, but it simply does not create harm. Dick Cheney has used "Go fuck yourself" on the Senate floor, and coming from someone I don't list as a role model, I still don't think he violated whatever sanctity the Senate floor is supposed to have. I think Patrick Leahy would rather hear that than be part of the anthrax scare of several years ago. Unless he thought Cheney and he were a perfect pair to replace Walter Mattheau and Jack Lemmon for The Absolutely Fucking Grumpiest Old Men Ever. I'd rent that.

So what's the point of wasting money to change this on North Carolina license plates? Are they going to pay to replace "BBW" on license plates, too? I think god forgives license plates.

The apparently contentious phrase is, perhaps ironically, my typical reaction to such abject silliness. But maybe I'm just mature/immature.

Balls.