The DMV and PR : A Dangerous Combination

I am reading David Denby's Snark, It's Mean, It's Personal, and It's Running our Conversation. He explains, "what is snark? You know it when you see it: a strain of nasty, knowing, and snide abuse that has spread like pinkeye through the media and undermined our conversation" (Denby, 2009).




A few pages into the book, I was reminded of a 'warning letter' I once received from the DMV. I thought is was so ineffective that I kept it out of sheer disbelief.





"The Warning Letter"



Here it is. Let me highlight the choice sections.
The first two paragraphs inform me that I am a bad driver, and that even if I think I am a good driver I should be assured that I am not. This is evidenced by the two traffic convictions listed at the bottom of the page. After a quick dressing down comes a special offer:

"In our effort to urge you to drive safer, we are offering you a choice. You can choose to prevent further action from DMV by avoiding additional traffic convictions and by not causing any crashes."

(please note that my tickets were for 1. making a u-turn at a four-way stop and 2. going 31 in a 25)




Here comes the my favorite part: "However, if you choose to continue your unsafe driving, the penalties will increase and eventually lead to probation, suspension or revocation of your driving privilege."

Did they or did they not just use the Montessori method employed to create the illusion of choice for non compliant kindergarteners? It is a slightly different rendition of "Sally, you can either walk to song circle, or I will carry you there. Which one would you like to have happen?"

Now, the closing paragraph....
"We believe that you are capable of making the change to become a safer driver. But it is up to you to do so. If you do not want to change, your driving will continue to present a risk to yourself and other road users. If you want to change and become a safer driver, you can. We hope that you will decide to change, but the choice is yours."

The DMV is offering me a choice between being a good driver and being a bad driver. Good things will happen if I choose to change, and bad things will happen if I choose to continue my reign of terror. Simple enough.

Here is the hard part - I must make this choice for myself and change from within. How very Lion King.

I wonder who writes these letters, and if they intend to be so, well, snarky.

What about a letter that says, "Your driving record shows that you are consistently breaking the rules. Stop doing this because you could lose your license if these infractions continue. Sincerely, the DMV"

Sometimes less is more.