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Those Bumper Stickers: Behind the Scenes
Those who follow my column in the Register know that for the better part of a decade I have been writing an annual column about the most opinionated and funniest bumper stickers I (or my readers) spot during that calendar year. It's one of the most popular columns I do.
The main thing people like about it: it's funny. I take no credit for the humor (those who come up with the stickers messages deserve that) but I do work mighty hard throughout the year to spot new stickers.
I'm probably lucky not to have been involved in a car accident doing this. I try not to get carried away; sometimes one of my kids will say, "Daddy, speed up! We've gotta see that sticker!"
Do I speed up? Usually, no -- unless the car is very close by. I'm not going to endanger anybody or risk a speeding ticket to read a bumper sticker, not even if it's a good one, not even for the cause of journalism/amusing the public.
But often I will be driving down a street and will see a sticker but won't be able to read it before I pass the car. What I'll do is back up (if no car is approaching) and read it or park and walk over to see the bumper. It's worth it, sometimes.
What amazes me is that every year I have plenty of new sticker messages to choose from in my annual write-up. People are witty and inventive and very opinionated, especially in the Bush years, especially in presidential election years.
An editor asked me how I'm able to memorize all of these stickers while driving. What I do is keep a reporter's notebook on my front seat or in my glove compartment at all times. When I see "a good one," I write it down, carefully, when I'm able to do so without driving off the road.
What are my boundaries or guidelines for including a sticker in my column? I can't use "cuss words," because I write for a family newspaper. I also avoid ethnic humor because I think it's tacky and probably even cruel and would cause letters and e-mails and phone calls of protest.
That's why when a reader reported seeing a sticker that made fun of Polish people, I didn't include it.
But you know what? My blog readers can probably handle this one, which I didn't use in my column for the "best of 2008" -- so here goes: "The only Bush I trust is my own."
If you see a good sticker, feel free to let me know.
The main thing people like about it: it's funny. I take no credit for the humor (those who come up with the stickers messages deserve that) but I do work mighty hard throughout the year to spot new stickers.
I'm probably lucky not to have been involved in a car accident doing this. I try not to get carried away; sometimes one of my kids will say, "Daddy, speed up! We've gotta see that sticker!"
Do I speed up? Usually, no -- unless the car is very close by. I'm not going to endanger anybody or risk a speeding ticket to read a bumper sticker, not even if it's a good one, not even for the cause of journalism/amusing the public.
But often I will be driving down a street and will see a sticker but won't be able to read it before I pass the car. What I'll do is back up (if no car is approaching) and read it or park and walk over to see the bumper. It's worth it, sometimes.
What amazes me is that every year I have plenty of new sticker messages to choose from in my annual write-up. People are witty and inventive and very opinionated, especially in the Bush years, especially in presidential election years.
An editor asked me how I'm able to memorize all of these stickers while driving. What I do is keep a reporter's notebook on my front seat or in my glove compartment at all times. When I see "a good one," I write it down, carefully, when I'm able to do so without driving off the road.
What are my boundaries or guidelines for including a sticker in my column? I can't use "cuss words," because I write for a family newspaper. I also avoid ethnic humor because I think it's tacky and probably even cruel and would cause letters and e-mails and phone calls of protest.
That's why when a reader reported seeing a sticker that made fun of Polish people, I didn't include it.
But you know what? My blog readers can probably handle this one, which I didn't use in my column for the "best of 2008" -- so here goes: "The only Bush I trust is my own."
If you see a good sticker, feel free to let me know.
posted by Randall Beach at
5:25 PM
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