Is the Pine Tree on Maine’s New License Plates Flipping Us Off?

Some people are claiming that the new Maine license plates with the pine tree on them are giving everyone the bird.

History of Maine's Newest Plates

Maine began issuing new pine tree plates on May 1 to replace the chickadee plate that replaced the lobster plate in 1999. The plate comes with your choice of pine tree or no pine tree.

Back when the Lobster plate was on vehicles starting in 1987, people thought the tiny lobster in the center looked more like a red bug. Seems like people always have a gripe with the standard plates that Maine has produced. That's probably why there are 10 different specialty plates to choose from.

With me so far?

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Why Do People Think the Tree is Flipping Them Off?

People who chose the pine tree plate now have what some people are saying is a tree that is flipping you off. Maybe a better term would be "giving you the bird," since trees are where birds go.

The tree is a watercolor painting created by former Secretary of State employee Mary Catus. She based the image on a pine tree that was in the yard of her childhood home.

So why do people think this? It's weird how human brains work. They always seem to find something that is either inappropriate or vulgar. Someone pointed out that the pine tree appears to be flipping you off.

The Boston Globe zoomed in on the plate to give us a good look at what people think is at the top of the tree.

Let's just set the record straight here. It doesn't look like we're being flipped off. The top of the tree doesn't look like a hand or a finger. If I want to go deep into this, I can also see things that look like a foot with three toes, a phallic symbol, and a ball being caught in a glove.

Your experience may not be the same as mine. Some people just have their minds in the gutter.