Every time Nebraska goes to change its license plate design, people have opinions on it. Not everyone can like the final and this year it went to a whole new level. Since the unveiling of the new plates, there seems to be nothing but negative feedback.
The reason behind the controversy is the picture that is supposed to represent the sower at the top of the capital building. Above this picture, Nebraska is depicted in blue and yellow. WOWT, KETV and the Omaha World -Herald all reported about how some residents believe the image on the plate looks more like the Michigan relief than the one on our
capital building.
Examining the image of Michigan’s sower along with the new plate design, it is clear that the sower looks more like the Michigan image than Nebraska’s similar sower. Add the fact that the plate has blue and yellow on it, and one can easily assume it was not meant for Nebraska. The state flag colors are blue and yellow, but Nebraska has no offical state colors.
The Omaha World-Herald reported that Jeff Heldt did a similar piece for a 2005 license plate competition. According to the Omaha World-Herald, his design also had the wrong sower. The new plates are loosely based off of his design. Gov. Pete Ricketts has ordered a new design to fix the problem.
One would think that because there are two similar sower images, it would be a good idea to pay attention to detail. This shows a lack of judgment on all parts. As citizens of Nebraska, most people see the statue once in a while. Yet, most cannot identify Nebraska’s image of the sower in comparison to that of other states.
This shows a lack in our ability to identify important figures or artwork associated with our state . Even the governor could not tell the two apart. According to The Omaha World -Herald, Ricketts originally argued that is was the right image and refused to change it.
The issue is not just with the fact that no one took enough of a close look at the proposed license plate. One big problem I have with the whole issue is the argument about the colors at the top. Nebraska is written in yellow surrounded by blue, which people have been arguing does not represent the state.
The reality is that Nebraska’s colors are not red and white — those are the colors of the Husker football team, not of the state itself. If the colors had been blue and white, would people argue that it was for Creighton and playing favoritism?
It seems that people have forgotten that using red and white would show favoritism towards the football team and have little connection to the state’s actual flag.
Past years’ designs have used yellow and other warm colors. This works because it avoids favoring one school. The blue and yellow should be OK, but people are too quick to associate it with football teams, such as when their football allegiances are in danger.
The license plate controversy shows a lot about Nebraska’s inability to pay attention to small details that that identify us as a state. People cannot identify our sower well enough to tell it apart from others or realize that our state flag colors are actually blue and yellow.
The design itself did a good job representing important symbols to Nebraska even if the sower needs to be tweaked. Unfortunately, the response shows Nebraskans are quick to protest.