| WHILST INNOCENTLY driving my car along a busy | | | | Do you have revealing information on your car that |
| highway at peak hour the other day, looking for | | | | perhaps could compromise your security, for instance, |
| something to distract me from the growing impatience | | | | names or phone numbers? |
| threatening my peace, I noticed a utility truck in the lane | | | | If you have values-promoting stickers or badges on |
| to the right. It was festooned with stickers proclaiming | | | | your vehicle such as for safety or environment |
| 'this' and advocating 'that'. There was something about | | | | advocacy, people will expect you, your vehicle and |
| it that drew my attention... Objective achieved! I was | | | | your behaviour to align to that 'stated' value. |
| distracted. The truck was filthy with light brown mud all | | | | If you have profane stickers and badges you could |
| over it, and there was one sticker in particular that | | | | expect about 90 percent of road users to have a |
| gave the owner up. It read, 'Thank a farmer for your | | | | negative attitude about you, and they don't even know |
| next meal.' I thought, "Yes... I will." | | | | you! |
| Bumper stickers can potentially tell us so much about | | | | If you support a cause like organ donation, leukaemia |
| the person who owns or drives a vehicle can't they? | | | | research, or Alzheimer's disease research, it pays to |
| What stickers do you have on your vehicle? It's the | | | | advertise. If you're going to have a sticker it might as |
| same as personalised license plates. They often | | | | well give people information on the cause, or how to |
| communicate 'a perception' of the driver's personality | | | | donate, or how to get involved. |
| and their approach to life. I see many cars with 'name' | | | | From my own experience I don't any longer have |
| plates on them nowadays; the driver obviously seeks | | | | values-promoting or spiritual stickers or decals on my |
| for all and sundry to know their name. Cars, like | | | | car -- I think personally they put too much pressure on |
| houses, boats, and vans can be a way of showing | | | | highly imperfect individuals to live up to. (I wouldn't argue |
| your character off, to exhibit your 'style.' The stickers, | | | | that my view is necessarily correct, however.) |
| badges, plates, and other devices we put on our cars | | | | It's personal choice at the end of the day; one must |
| communicate all sorts of things to all sorts of people, | | | | know nonetheless, bumper stickers communicate a |
| and not always what we'd expect. | | | | world of information, and not all of the information |
| Here are some further considerations: | | | | communicated is going to be received accurately. |
| If you have a Christian "fish" on your car or any other | | | | © Copyright 2008, Steven John Wickham. All |
| spiritual sign, people will link your driving behaviour to | | | | Rights Reserved Worldwide. |
| your faith... food for thought? | | | | |