Bumper stickers. We all have seen hundreds of them, many on
car bumpers, some stuck on car or truck windows. A search on Google images brings up lots of
them, but I have to say that I'm not impressed with many of them. The
vast majority of those stickers I would prefer never to have stuck onto my own
bumpers. Many of them appear to have
been concocted by mindless idiots who think that they have been so clever. The stickers neither convey any message worth
reading nor spark constructive thinking.
Too many of them are simply profane, substituting profanity for
wit.
And, far too many of them
express hate, something that I have grown very tired of. I actually saw a battered old pickup truck
with a sticker on the cab's rear window that read, “Save America. Shoot all Muslims and Democrats.” What added to the irony was that the
stereotypical looking cretin behind the wheel also had placed a “I love Jesus”
sticker next to the other one. It
reminded me of a satirical bumper sticker that I once saw that asked, “What gun
would Jesus buy?” Or, there was one I
saw that said, “Nuc a gay whale for Christ.”
I have become weary of
seeing religious messages on bumper stickers.
Of course, those people who place them there have the right to do so;
however, I think that there are so many that they become tiresome. Or worse, the statements shout intolerance,
proudly inferring that their religion is the only true religion, and all others
are false, sure to send the adherents to hell.
The acerbic-tongued, British actress Maggie Smith sums it up quite
nicely: “My dear, religion is like a penis.
It's a perfectly fine thing for one to have and to take pride in; but
when one takes it out and waves it in my face, we have a problem.”
I can think of a lot of
messages that I could share with others, but I feel that most people would
think them too tame, too “goody-two-shoes.”
Here are a few. “Have you treated
everyone kindly today?” “Have you been
honest in all of your business dealings today?”
“Are all your political statements honest and constructive?” “Do you strive each day to make society a
better place?” I feel that such messages
should be seen by everyone; however, most likely, many people, viewing such
positive messages, might choose to become irritated or even angry. The messages convey modes of behavior too
foreign to their own experience and desires.
Of course, most people
select bumper stickers that concern them personally, often omitting messages of
general interest. I, too, can think of
various messages based upon my personal preferences, such as good music and its
remarkable influence upon emotional health and even physical well-being. How about a bumper sticker that says “Build
fresh brain cells.-- Listen to classical music.” Or, “Go for Baroque.”
Or, people might prefer
something a little more catchy. At one
time a few years ago, I met a young waiter whose father was an
opera-tenor. The father and his favorite
historical figure was the superlative singer Carlo Broschi, known on stage as
“Farinelli.” The waiter asked me to find
a good portrait of Farinelli and to assist in preparing the digital data to
make a series of good-quality T-shirts, some for his dad and himself, and
others for friends. An acquaintance of
mine who was supposed to print them never bothered to do so, but the slogan
still could work on a bumper sticker.
Print a picture of Farinelli along with the statement, “It takes balls to
be a castrato.” That bumper sticker
might raise an eyebrow or two.
© 19 November 2014
About the Author
I have had a life-long fascination with people
and their life stories. I also realize
that, although my own life has not brought me particular fame or fortune, I too
have had some noteworthy experiences and, at times, unusual ones. Since I joined this Story Time group, I have
derived pleasure and satisfaction participating in the group. I do put some thought and effort into my
stories, and I hope that you find them interesting.
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