With this being an election year, I have to brace myself for the inevitable bombardment of political ads. Soon every television station, newspaper, billboard, and politically conscious college kid will be telling me who to endorse. It’s just so tiring.
But of all the terrible, mean-spirited messages and images that come with elections, nothing gets under my skin like bumper stickers. Now, you might think that bumper stickers are an irrational and insignificant thing to be annoyed by and you’d be right. But they still drive me crazy and with any hope you’ll feel the same after this post.
To me, bumper stickers are tattoos for cars and much like tattoos, bumper stickers are much easier to put on then they are to take off. (I don’t care if they say easy removal; you’ll never full get that sticker off your car.) Since that level of commitment worries me, I think the only good tattoos and bumper stickers stand the test of time.
When I see someone who made the decision to apply a political bumper sticker to their car , it’s like they are telling me, “I make bad choices.” Whether I agree with their endorsement or not, I’ll never agree with them choosing to adorn their vehicle with something so trendy and fleeting. Even if your candidate wins, you still lose! You’re stuck with that bumper sticker for the long haul.
So before you vandalize your bumper with a sticker, I encourage you to stop and think, for my sake and your cars! Remember, a hot coed with a lower back tattoo turns into a middle-aged mom with lower back tattoo. So too will your bumper sticker be a dated reminder of past decisions, whether it’s “Obama 08,” “McCain Palin,” “W ’04,” or the sad “Gore/Liebermann” I saw the other day.