Bumper Stickers, What's Your Point?

I wonder if I am alone when I say I think bumper stickers are often confrontational, and/or foolish, and/or pointless. I was visiting my parents when I noticed the McCain/Palin sticker on the rear bumper of their car. I found myself feeling a little disappointed (but not surprised) in my parents political choice and a little irritated that they would boast of their choice. I thought for a long time about my feelings and I realized that I see no legitimate point to putting your political and/or religious beliefs on your bumper. I find it impossible to believe that anyone ever changed their vote because they read a better choice on a bumper of a car. I also find it impossible to believe that if there is a supreme being (or a coalition of supreme beings) they would give a rat's ass if their followers advertized their faith on the bumper of a car. I believe it is not appropriate to discuss religion or politics in polite company. My feelings extend to those opinions you paste on your car. So please help me to understand if there is a purpose of these self-adhesive statements other than belligerence?

Yeah those Obama/Biden stickers really get me going. :D

Seriously though, I don't put stickers on my car, and some are rather irritating. But I must say, it's quite amusing, and I get a laugh out of it every now and then, of some of the things people are willing to stick onto their car.

I do have a support the troops magnet on both of my vehicles though. Most of my friends, and three close relatives are currently serving.

on my old car a had one that said "honk if parts fall off" this car was in such bad shape and actually falling apart that i really got honks when thing would fall from the body and frame of my car lol

-dan-

[quote=icedog;321156]I believe it is not appropriate to discuss religion or politics in polite company. quote]


So youre saying we're not polite company? You no good son of a !@#$%, and I mean that with all due respect!:D Have a great day Brad!

In my opinion, bumper stickers are just like t-shirts/patches/pins/etc. Sometimes they are to display your feelings on a topic, sometimes they are intended to be amusing, and sometimes they are to grab the attention of a certain crowd.

To me, posting a political bumper sticker only serves to show who the poster is going to/already voted for.

Personally, I do like some of the clever/amusing bumper stickers or ones that display a person's interest (as a t-shirt would do; i.e. W&B t-shirts). That said, I wouldn't put one (regardless of what it said) on my car.

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Originally Posted by icedog

I find it impossible to believe that anyone ever changed their vote because they read a better choice on a bumper of a car.

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Look into the results of the prop 8 propaganda war. That's all any of it is, propaganda. It's uplifting to see others recognize what it is, but completely disheartening to see so many fall for it.

[quote=nun2sharp;321185]

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Originally Posted by icedog

I believe it is not appropriate to discuss religion or politics in polite company. quote]


So youre saying we're not polite company? You no good son of a !@#$%, and I mean that with all due respect!:D Have a great day Brad!

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:rofl2:

I like the funny bumper stickers, they give me a laugh sometimes.

What I really want is one of those boards you can put in the back window that spit out messages using LEDs (I love LEDs) that you type in yourself.

I would just type appropriate sections of the road rules in every time I passed someone. "Morons must keep left at all times!" and "I don't pee in your car, so please stop ****ing around on my highway" and so on. These are genuine Aussie road rules, I might add.

James.

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Originally Posted by Jimbo

:rofl2:

What I really want is one of those boards you can put in the back window that spit out messages using LEDs (I love LEDs) that you type in yourself.

I would just type appropriate sections of the road rules in every time I passed someone. "Morons must keep left at all times!"

James.

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If I had a dollar for everytime my girlfriend said the same thing! Except here it would be "Morons...keep right except to pass"

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Originally Posted by Mike7120

"Morons...keep right except to pass"

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Actually it is the morons that don't keep right except to pass

Sure the funny or silly bumper stickers and the ones that say where you've been (This Car Climbed Mt. Washington, etc) fine. But to Holli4pirating's point, isn't telling strangers who you voted for or intend to vote for confrontational?

Regarding the troop support mahnets and stickers, well, I have some opinions about those but I will start a separate thread.

Brad

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Originally Posted by icedog

Actually it is the morons that don't keep right except to pass

Sure the funny or silly bumper stickers and the ones that say where you've been (This Car Climbed Mt. Washington, etc) fine. But to Holli4pirating's point, isn't telling strangers who you voted for or intend to vote for confrontational?

Regarding the troop support mahnets and stickers, well, I have some opinions about those but I will start a separate thread.

Brad

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

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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.

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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?

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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?

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Originally Posted by icedog

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

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.

When I was a union ironworker we let people know who we supported. In local union elections among the rank and file and in presidential elections. In the former if you were on the losing side the payback could be significant but that's show biz.

I had a Kerry/Edwards sticker on my van. If I could have found an Obama/Biden sticker I would have carried it proudly. I had to settle for a button on my shirt that read "Bicyclists for Obama-Biden. This was not confrontational. It was meant like the previous examples to possibly influence others to vote that way. In the union we called that politicking.

My all time favorite political bumper sticker had a caricature of Nixon in profile with a long tongue sticking out of his mouth. Above that it said,"Lick Dick in '72".

Of non political stickers my current favorite says,"Keep honking, I'm reloading".

I don't care for religious bumper stickers or plates on automobiles, or for belt buckles with the name of a deity on them but hey, it's a free country.

In the UK, any kind of political statement on a vehicle is like an invitation to someone who doesn't share your views to gouge along the side of your paintwork with a key.

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Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

When I was a union ironworker we let people know who we supported. In local union elections among the rank and file and in presidential elections. In the former if you were on the losing side the payback could be significant but that's show biz.

I had a Kerry/Edwards sticker on my van. If I could have found an Obama/Biden sticker I would have carried it proudly. I had to settle for a button on my shirt that read "Bicyclists for Obama-Biden. This was not confrontational. It was meant like the previous examples to possibly influence others to vote that way. In the union we called that politicking.

My all time favorite political bumper sticker had a caricature of Nixon in profile with a long tongue sticking out of his mouth. Above that it said,"Lick Dick in '72".

Of non political stickers my current favorite says,"Keep honking, I'm reloading".

I don't care for religious bumper stickers or plates on automobiles, or for belt buckles with the name of a deity on them but hey, it's a free country.

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Thanks for your input James. I wore a silly T-Shirt I designed during the campaign but I did it only to make folks smile. Now please answer this question. Do you think anyone ever has been influenced to change his/her vote by a bumper sticker?

I think stickers sometimes get people thinking and might get them to vote, but it would be hard to change their opinions.

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Originally Posted by flyboy

I think stickers sometimes get people thinking and might get them to vote, but it would be hard to change their opinions.

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When you saw bumper stickers during the last presidential campaign period, did they really get you thinking?

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Originally Posted by icedog

When you saw bumper stickers during the last presidential campaign period, did they really get you thinking?

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The did me, but only so far as to think how gullible some people can be.

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Originally Posted by icedog

Thanks for your input James. I wore a silly T-Shirt I designed during the campaign but I did it only to make folks smile. Now please answer this question. Do you think anyone ever has been influenced to change his/her vote by a bumper sticker?

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Probably not. What it did for me was give me a good feeling the more people I saw supporting my candidate.

I want one. What must I do to get one? No political stickers on my ride. They are all liars. It is funny to see how many people drank the Koolaid though. I have an American flag on my truck and one that says If you don't like it here you are free to leave. Simple enough. Jockeys just about covered it with his total list of stickers. I too had cars/trucks with umpteen number of stickers supporting punk and skinhead bands. Misspent youth at it's best!!:D

I don't usually do bumper stickers. I agree -- what's the point? It's not like you can understand my point of view in four words.

But my son asked me in the last cycle to put on an Obama sticker, which I did. Though I don't think it convinced anybody, it was nonetheless enlightening. People in pickup trucks would make obscene gestures at me. Kind of brought it home to me just what this nation has to overcome.

Years ago, I was considering getting a Darwin fish, but decided against it. First, it might offend people who really don't warrant offending. Second, why behave like those who do?

Not a sermon; just a thought.

j

I like the LED idea...but it would have to be big for people to read.....

Some pre-programmed messages:

I hope you don't f#@k like you drive - you'll never have kids!

I wonder if the reception would be any better with the phone shoved up your a$$?

Why are you putting on make-up while driving? It didn't help!

My kid got your honor student pregnant.

The speed limit is 75...try the skinny pedal on the right (this can be switch for the left for you right hand drive folks)

Nice <insert expensive, ostentatious vehicle name here>....shame the Viagra didn't work.

(For tailgaters) Get any closer and you'll need a condom!

My <insert dog breed name> is smarter than your honor student

:rofl2:

I bought and built up a 1993 F250. I had stickers on that truck for all the upgrades, Warn, Air Lockers, MSD Ignition, Hooker Headers, American Racing, Alpine, Jackson Racing, BF Goodrich, etc. I also displayed all the organizations to which I belonged like Tread Lightly, Eastern 4 Wheelers, East Coast Four Wheel Drive Association. While the truck was pretty much unstoppable it was a rolling advertisement to thieves. I was at my girlfriend's house in New Haven when I heard the split rear window break at 0330. I don't know why I didn't believe it was my window. My dog Fritz knew but I told him to shut up and go to sleep. When the sun came up I could see the beautiful oak overhead console I built hanging in pieces by the wires of the Alpine audio gear the kid boosted. It broke my heart. I have no stickers on my MINI Cooper S even though it too is built. No need to advertise.

Regarding the political stickers, I think after reading all the great responses above, that I am pretty much confirmed in my original opinion. I am not ashamed of my political and religious choices and I don't think anyone should be. I do think that it is best to keep your mouth shut and if people want to get to know you those topics would be great things to discuss. But to fly those flags in an unsolicited situation comes across as self aggrandizement and thereby unecessarily caustic. I will sum it up in what is probably the best bit of advice anyone has ever gotten and in most cases it came from Grandma when she said to you, "Be nice."

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Originally Posted by icedog

I bought and built up a 1993 F250. I had stickers on that truck for all the upgrades, Warn, Air Lockers, MSD Ignition, Hooker Headers, American Racing, Alpine, Jackson Racing, BF Goodrich, etc. I also displayed all the organizations to which I belonged like Tread Lightly, Eastern 4 Wheelers, East Coast Four Wheel Drive Association. While the truck was pretty much unstoppable it was a rolling advertisement to thieves. I was at my girlfriend's house in New Haven when I heard the split rear window break at 0330. I don't know why I didn't believe it was my window. My dog Fritz knew but I told him to shut up and go to sleep. When the sun came up I could see the beautiful oak overhead console I built hanging in pieces by the wires of the Alpine audio gear the kid boosted. It broke my heart. I have no stickers on my MINI Cooper S even though it too is built. No need to advertise.

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Indeed, I never understood that. If there's valuable equipment in your car, no need for posing, but keep a low profile at all times.

the only stickers on my car are:
-one for my favourite soccer-team
-one straight razor sticker
-and a sticker of my band.