I have a great idea for a bumper sticker.
It is blue with big white letters that read:
"A BUMPER STICKER IS NOT A POLITICAL STATEMENT"
I've never understood bumper stickers for national and regionalcandidates. Building up visibility of a local candidate in theprimary makes sense, however I cannot see why Bush or Kerry needs aboost in visibility.
Do I, Joe Undecided Voter, have a sudden revelation behind amini-van carrying a Bush for President decal or whims of revelationwhen following a coupe with a Kerry/Edwards sticker?
It seems unlikely.
The fact is, bumper stickers, as a form of marketing, don'twork. So, if it isn't for marketing, then why would people plastertheir cars with rear end decorations? There are only twoexplanations for this phenonmon.
The first is that people are promoting their own image, not thecandidate. But, the fact is, on most cars the image doesn't change.Unless you're trying to rebel against the man (i.e. your parents)by placing a Kerry sticker on the automobile they purchased you,there's really no effect. I guess putting a Nader sticker on theback of a H2 would say a lot, too.
The second is far more dangerous than rebellious teens orclueless Nader-supporters. There are some people who are soobsessively unconfident in their political ideology that they feela need to not only broadcast it at all times, but they also mustattack people who feel differently.
These are the people who constantly talk about politics all thetime, as if they were experts on it, but their analysis is usuallyhalf-hearted, at best.
These are the people who attack college professors for promotingpolitical ideologies in class. I'm sorry, but if you are thatunconfident in your political views that you feel that someonetalking about a view differing from yours will somehow devalue yourpolitical views than you have a bigger political problem than aleft-wing or right-wing professor.
These people will think they are doing a great good by placingthe bumper sticker on their car. They will think that they are"informing the voters" with the words they place on their bumper.Their impact on their candidates can effect the outcome of thiselection.
Not in Indiana, bucko. Not even in Florida.
The fact is bumper stickers (and those signs in peoples frontlawns, for that matter) will do nothing, absolutely nothing for acandidate, and may cause minor cosmetic damage to your bumper.
The fact is, it's nothing but a waste of advertising space onyour car. Lose the political statement and work out a deal withPepsi to put a sticker on your car.
Look what it did for Jeff Gordon.
Write to Will at wjohargan@bsu.edu
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