Thread: Bumper Stickers, What's Your Point?

Originally Posted by nun2sharp

You putting a sticker on your car promoting a candidate is free speech. You putting a sticker on MY car is confrontational.

No, putting a sticker on your car is vandalism and freedom of speech is what allows you to be confrontational by advertising who you have decided to vote for. I personally prefer people kept their political and religious choices private. When I see someone who is making statements about religion and/or politics I feel something about that person without ever ever shaking his hand or hearing him speak. Whether it is right or wrong, people do judge books by their covers. The covers of some books say much more than they need to. Don't you feel that anytime a person says, "I am and you are not" is divisive?

Originally Posted by icedog

No, putting a sticker on your car is vandalism and freedom of speech is what allows you to be confrontational by advertising who you have decided to vote for. I personally prefer people kept their political and religious choices private. When I see someone who is making statements about religion and/or politics I feel something about that person without ever ever shaking his hand or hearing him speak. Whether it is right or wrong, people do judge books by their covers. The covers of some books say much more than they need to. Don't you feel that anytime a person says, "I am and you are not" is divisive?

No. They may be wearing their hearts on their sleeves, or simply immature. But for you to be offended, you must take offense. The only way it could be divisive is if you let something get the best of you.

Originally Posted by nun2sharp

No. They may be wearing their hearts on their sleeves, or simply immature. But for you to be offended, you must take offense. The only way it could be divisive is if you let something get the best of you.

Now you are getting close to my point. What purpose can an argumentative statement serve other than to be argumentative? Whether anyone falls for it is immaterial I am questioning the intent.

Originally Posted by icedog

But to Holli4pirating's point, isn't telling strangers who you voted for or intend to vote for confrontational?

I think telling someone who they should/should have voted for is confrontational, but I don't think telling someone who you voted for is. While I do understand that politics may draw out strong opinions/emotions for some people, that is not the case for everyone. If someone tells me they voted for Candidate Y in Election Z, that is no different than them telling me that they voted for red as the best color in the world. Even if a person wishes to tell me why they voted for Candidate Y in Election Z, I wouldn't find that confrontational. On the other hand, I would find it educational. I typically listen with a critical ear and follow up with my own research and reflections. Maybe I learn something I didn't know; maybe my opinion is set/swayed (for I am ignorant in many fields); or maybe I form a strong counter-stance which cements my current standing.

But, if someone tries to enter into a debate about why they voted for Candidate Y in Election Z or challenges me for not voting for Candidate Y in Election Z, that is a whole other story. In that case, there is indeed a confrontational tone.

Personally, bumper stickers with candidates' names fall in the first category. Of course, I do not mean to say that no one should find such stickers offensive; I am only trying to articulate my own views.

I like funny / philosophical bumperstickers. What I don't like are policial / religious bumper stickers.

- if they just inform the people what your opinion is, then they are pointless. What do you care what an anonymous passerby thinks?
- they can land you in trouble. parking a car with obama stickers in texas, or with McCain in California can get your car vanadlized. this sucks, and it is stupid, but it is reality.
- if they tell me what to do, it's even worse. I don't tell you to become a pagan / muslim / jehovah / whatever, so don't tell me to become like you. religious advertising is only one step up from religious people going door to door, and just as annoying.
- the best thing to do after an election is if everybody accepts the winner and tries to make the best of it. That's in the best interest of the country. harping on the fact that you think the wrong guys won, for years on end is not productive and not patriotic.

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

I think telling someone who they should/should have voted for is confrontational, but I don't think telling someone who you voted for is. While I do understand that politics may draw out strong opinions/emotions for some people, that is not the case for everyone. If someone tells me they voted for Candidate Y in Election Z, that is no different than them telling me that they voted for red as the best color in the world. Even if a person wishes to tell me why they voted for Candidate Y in Election Z, I wouldn't find that confrontational. On the other hand, I would find it educational. I typically listen with a critical ear and follow up with my own research and reflections. Maybe I learn something I didn't know; maybe my opinion is set/swayed (for I am ignorant in many fields); or maybe I form a strong counter-stance which cements my current standing.

But, if someone tries to enter into a debate about why they voted for Candidate Y in Election Z or challenges me for not voting for Candidate Y in Election Z, that is a whole other story. In that case, there is indeed a confrontational tone.

Personally, bumper stickers with candidates' names fall in the first category. Of course, I do not mean to say that no one should find such stickers offensive; I am only trying to articulate my own views.

Thanks for this explaination and I agree with you but there are two points you did not address:

1. After an election, what is the point of displaying a political bumper sticker at all? If your candidate won, you are gloating if your candidate lost you come off as a grumbling malcontent.
2. Religious bumper stickers, "Jesus Saves" or the Wiccan pentagram with the word, "Clergy" or the fish, or the fish with legs are nothing more than proselytizing which in my book is as confrontational as it gets.

Bruno,

Some bumper stickers are very funny but then, I saw one that read,
BUMPER STICKER. Why?

Brad

Originally Posted by icedog

Thanks for this explaination and I agree with you but there are two points you did not address:

1. After an election, what is the point of displaying a political bumper sticker at all? If your candidate won, you are gloating if your candidate lost you come off as a grumbling malcontent.
2. Religious bumper stickers, "Jesus Saves" or the Wiccan pentagram with the word, "Clergy" or the fish, or the fish with legs are nothing more than proselytizing which in my book is as confrontational as it gets.

For part 1, I suppose that is all about how you read the stickers. I see them as a declaration of who the owner voted for and/or a sign of what party the owner supports. I also figure the damn things are probably so hard to get off that most people don't bother, but, seeing as I've never applied or removed a bumper sticker, that is just my assumption based on my total ignorance. Again, that is just my take; others may read it as a sign of gloating/malcontent. Had you not mentioned it, I wouldn't have really seen it that way; perhaps the same is true for my views.

I guess my response is the same for 2. I mean, is there really any way to tell what the intentions of the person who posted the bumper sticker are? I wouldn't have assumed that religious bumper stickers were intended to convert people, though I do see your point. I suppose that sometimes religious people do feel obligated to "spread the good word," but my first thought on seeing such bumper stickers is just that the person is declaring their beliefs. That is, of course, unless they put up a bumper sticker with an explicit "convert to my cause" message.

As an example, my neighbor has a "Darwin fish" on her can (one of those metal ones, not a sticker), and my first thought was "Cool, my neighbor believes in science." Note that I did not view the fish as "Ah, my neighbor denounces creationism/intelligent design."

I've only got two decals on my car, a Air Evac life-team membership decal and a straight razor place decal. My pickup on the other hand has several, the aforementioned Air Evac, an Emergency Management radio communications and a M.A.R.S. (Military Affiliate Radio System) decal, plus my ham radio call sign cut-out of decal material (I used to work in the industry) and a W in 04 decal lol.

I LOVE bumperstickers! Especially the political ones, or others that are meant to tick you off, etc. I think it's truly funny that the driver has confused me for someone that actually *cares* what he thinks.

Shortly after buying my new car, I had some stranger approach me in a parking lot and say, "you know, that car is the biggest piece of sh** on the street." I replied, "Oh, you must have mistaken me for someone that cares about what you think." That's pretty much how I feel about bumper stickers, too.

Although some are pretty good..... "It's a CAR not a PHONE BOOTH! Shut up and DRIVE!" I do like that one.

This one will only be funny to those that live in Utah and are "in the know" about such things.... "Welcome to Utah. If you think our Liquor Laws are funny, you should see our underware."

I can see several reasons why a person might put a sticker on their car.

1. purely informative/useful. the Evac Membership sticker is a good example. I have HondaCare membership stickers in the window of my truck for similar reasons.
2. humor. there are lots of joke bumper stickers, people may wish to share a joke they find amusing with other commuters
3. membership. some clubs (like SRP) have stickers. I have one on the window of my truck because I'm proud to be a member of such a fine community. some car/motorcycle enthusiast clubs give stickers to members to put on their vehicles to denote membership.
4. pride in a particular group/viewpoint. here's where the religious and political stickers come into play. icedog, maybe your folks not only want to inform people that they support mccain, but are proud of it and want to show it off. i dunno. i do agree it's tacky to have stickers for a candidate on after the election. it's more acceptable to have a sticker denoting a party or platform as this is not election-specific. (example, I have a Texas Libertarian sticker and an arabic Infidel sticker on my truck.)
5. places/bands. having place or band stickers to show that you've been there. my first car in high school had 50-60 stickers on the back windows of different bands i saw perform live. kind of a way to show off what shows/places you've travelled to. i wouldn't do this nowadays, this is more a teenager thing.
6. in loving memory. i think these are tacky, but some people seem to like commemorating their loved ones or even dead celebs. (dale earnhardt, dimebag darrell, etc.)
7. the hispanic name. popular where i live. the last name of the owner of the truck in gothic letters in an arch over the virgin mary all across the back windshield of the truck. i see more of these stickers than any other car sticker.

i think that covers all the options.