Posted on 05/02/2009 2:33:25 PM PDT by JoeProBono
For decades, drivers have used their bumpers as moving billboards. Bumper stickers show our political leanings, our religious affiliations, where we've vacationed and what type of dogs we have. They offer a glimpse into a driver's sense of humor (Just say no to negativity) or sense of injustice (I had a life, but my job ate it).
Historians believe that Forest P. Gill, a Kansas City-area printer, invented the bumper sticker in the 1930s. Gill began experimenting with attaching advertisements to car bumpers with wire, and eventually began working with self-sticking adhesive. The idea took hold, the stickers stuck, and by the time the Gill-line company celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1984 it had produced more than 1 billion bumper stickers.
The way that bumper stickers can both enlighten and enrage is what drew Paul Rosa into the industry nearly two decades ago. In the early 1990s, Rosa was a stand-up comedian who spent a lot of time on the road. As he drove hundreds of miles, he began to be irked by a particularly popular bumper sticker.
"It said, 'I'm proud of my honor student,'" Rosa says. "It was harmless enough, but a little annoying, people bragging about their kids to strangers on the highway. I decided to design my own bumper sticker that said, 'My kid beat up your honor student.'"
Rosa began selling the stickers after his comedy shows. "I ended up making almost as much money selling those stickers as I did performing," he says. Buoyed by the popularity of the bumper stickers, Rosa started his company and still operates New York-based Idiot Ink.
Rosa has sold more than 1.8 million bumper stickers, many through major retail chains. But in recent years, Rosa's business and the bumper sticker industry in general have been in decline. The stickers just aren't as prevalent as they were when Rosa's first pithy plays on words were pasted on cars around the country.
What's the reason for the demise of bumper stickers? Rosa believes it's a generational shift. "There is less rebellion than there was 35 or 40 years ago. There are fewer causes for rage -- gay rights and civil rights and women's rights have all advanced. There's no draft."
Rosa believes people are also more wary of displaying their political or social views on their bumpers. "People tell me they are worried about being vandalized by somebody who doesn't agree with their stickers."
And with the average sale price of a new car approaching $30,000, consumers are more reluctant to decorate with stickers.
"We see more bumper stickers on the less-expensive cars," says David Williams, general manager of Empire Lakewood Nissan in the Denver area. "We see very few on the more expensive models."
That doesn't mean car owners have been completely silenced. Williams says he has noticed more stickers taped to car windows, along with magnetic stickers and personalized license plates.
"People are still expressing themselves, just in different ways," he says.
Years ago I had a station wagon and taped to the inside of the rear window was a sign that said “Indict Lon Houriushi” I don’t think I ever met anyone that had any idea of what I was referencing. That made me rethink my attitude on “bumper stickers” well that and the fact that even though I’m 51 years old my 75 year old Dad would STILL kick my butt if I put a bumper sticker on my car!
Horiyoshi III, my tattoo artist
As for me, I had a couple of stickers made up since I figure as a Conservative I have nothing to lose. They are bright yellow with red lettering.
ANTI-OBAMUNIST ON BOARD and OBAMUNISM, THE FATAL CURE FOR BUSH DERANGEMENT SYNDROME.
The ANTI sticker is on my car right now, next to my Stag Arms sticker (The makers of my AR-15).
So far no problem. I am adding the classic One Big Ass Mistake America line to the ANTI sticker just to piss the Obamanuts off. I'm done worrying about hurt feelings or idiots that think I somehow have no freedom of speech because I disagree with their Halfrican American Messiah.
If I catch anyone trying to damage my car, they will pay for their action and I will insist that they be charged with a Hate Crime. Play the game they play. No more Mr. Nice Guy for me.
I would never think of damaging a vehicle with an F**k Bush sticker, and I have seen a few of them. Liberals are and will always be Malcontents, whether they win or lose.
I love that one!
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