LOLOCT7 Wasn't What Everyone Thought It Meant

(Photo from KABC LA)

Am antisemitic group complained about a personalized license plate spotted in Culver City:

the advocacy group StopAntisemitism shared a photo of the plate, “LOLOCT7,” spotted at a busy intersection in Culver City (Los Angeles County). The organization suggested that the plate celebrated the deadly terrorist attack [by Hamas on October 7, 2023], which it described as a “vile mockery” of the tragedy...

But the son of the car’s owner, who spoke anonymously to KABC-TV in Los Angeles, explained that the plate’s meaning had been misinterpreted.

He clarified that “LOLOCT7” was intended to reference “Lolo,” the Tagalog word for grandfather, “CT” for the Cybertruck model and “7” to signify the number of grandchildren the owner has.

The Filipino family said this explanation was shared with the DMV when the plate was first requested. The Cybertruck owner is in the process of getting new plates.

For most Americans the plate is likely interpreted as "laughing out loud" re "October 7", the date of a murderous terrorist attack. To the Filipino family the characters were an abbreviation for "grandfather." "Cybertruck," "7 [grandchildren]." The dispute was resolved quickly because the owner agreed to change the license plate.

In a multicultural society these misunderstandings can easily happen. Sometimes the dominant culture says or writes something that offends a minority group; in this rarer case the minority makes an expression that offends the dominant culture and the dominant culture cares. We are used to both sides being intransigent, and it's a relief that the "offending" side agreed readily to modify its material.