Bumper stickers

One of my favorite exercises when facilitating a session on corporate or personal values is to divide the participants into small groups and have them come up with bumper sticker slogans representing the different points of view. Usually clever, mostly on target, and occasionally controversial, the activity both summarized the learnings and often generated interesting conversations for the remainder of the training. Though I’ve never had a bumper sticker on any of my cars, I do enjoy reading them as I drive or sit at a stoplight. I’ve laughed, frowned, agreed and disagreed with the sentiments. Sometimes I was appalled or confused. 

That’s how I was on Saturday in the grocery store parking lot when a saw one that said, “If you can read this, thank a teacher.” I smiled, recalling the ones that warn, “If you can read this, you’re too close.” Nice twist, I thought. But the bumper sticker didn’t end there. It went on to say, “If you can read it in English, thank a soldier.” My smile turned to a scowl for I didn’t immediately understand the exact intent of the message. On the surface, it might be simple, but somehow it seemed sinister. Perhaps it’s today’s political climate that had my mind going to arming the teachers with assault rifles and to those with guns who blocked the school entrances during the civil rights movement. I thought of closed borders to keep out the ‘other’ when most citizens here, myself included, are ‘other.’ 

Bumper stickers tell others what clan we belong to. From schools to political views, sports to branches of the military, hobbies to pets, we let others know our allegiances, loves and beliefs, while providing free marketing for universities, teams, organizations, etc. I don’t know what clan the owner of my Saturday encounter really represented, but I know that if I ever do paste one on my car it would be the one - you’ve seen it, with the religious and peace symbols - that says coexist. What’s your clan?

Marilyn