It's the thing to do here in New Jersey to show the composition of your family via stickers on the back window of your car. Are these stickers as popular elsewhere?
Sometimes there are just a few kids, and sometimes whole armies of them. I once saw a car with at least eight kids marching across the back window. I so wish I'd gotten a photo. Sometimes the cats and dogs are shown, too.
Sometimes the stickers include outfits that show everyone's hobbies and athletic pursuits. Invariably the boys are football players and the girls are cheerleaders.
There's something very Republican about this whole phenomenon, it seems to me. (It's interesting how "family" is a word that's turned sour in my mouth because of the right-wingers who have used it to bludgeon the rights and freedoms of the rest of us.) There's also a sort of one-upmanship, like, "Look how many children I have! Look how fertile I am!"
I told Dave we should get some stickers of our own - two men and two dogs! But he firmly vetoed that idea.
I haven't seen these up here on The Prairie but I'm going to start looking for them today. Mine would be a guy, a gal, a German Shepherd, and 3 Tabbies ... we both need the non traditional pack. xoxo.
ReplyDeleteI call them "I CAN BREED" stickers and they are all over the place. I think you should reconsider and put some up on your car.
ReplyDeleteThey litter the automotive landscape here in Jacksonville also. Of course that only goes to prove your theory about the right wing family, one-upmanship theory. I also always assumed it was somehow a not so subliminal reinforcement to the rest of us that there is a set concept of family and if you don't fit it then piss off.
ReplyDeleteImagine growing up in LOL with the two of us, two flea infested dogs and an a grumpy woman sticker on the back of the Escort.
Family stickers replaced the white oval "OBX" stickers that were all the rage here in Jax about 5 years ago. Even though we are thousand miles away from the Outer Banks, folks still wanted to make sure that you knew their Ford Excursion really was a true utility vehicle, even if it did have 9 TVs in it, and couldn't go more than about 100 miles away from a gas station.
Don't get me wrong, I'm a sticker nut...but I don't think I'd plaster a sticker on my car to send a message, any message, to another motorist. Too many Glocks under seats now-a-days.
Was the one with the 8 kid stickers flying a US flag from his radio antenna as well? Unfortunately FLAG and FAMILY have both been affected by the same group of people.
ReplyDeleteI never saw these, but I'm sure they are here too.
I love the 2 men and 2 dogs response!
i say keep up the sticker campaign and try to wear dave down. it would be kind of great to have your 2 men and 2 dogs version out there with all of the traditional breeders.
ReplyDeletei find those stickers to be instantly mind numbing ...
ReplyDeleteOh you should DEFINITELY blos some minds with your own stickers - that would be great!
ReplyDeleteI have relatives in NC who have them - & they're not even Republicans! So I'm not sure it's a good sign of party affiliation. It is a good sign of people wanting to advertise their families I guess.
I so know what you mean about the word "family" especially when it's followed by the word "values."
ReplyDeleteIf you like, you can borrow three cats to go with your two dogs...
ReplyDeleteI've not seen those here, yet...
I read this yesterday and today I was stopped at a traffic light and on the back window of the van in front of me where these family stickers! I thought of you immediately. There were two woman (mom) stickers, 4 children and a baby! So, I think you should go ahead with your two men and two dogs.
ReplyDeleteWe have them everywhere here. Almost always plastered on the back of an SUV. I guess more appropriately "a SUV", but that is not as pleasing to the ear, even if it is technically correct!
ReplyDeletethey seem to be quite popular here in ohio - not surprising.
ReplyDeletethe theory about party politics isn't necessarily correct.... i know a family who have the stickers on the back of their mini-van (gasp, yes) - they are progressive democrats.
the mini-van is a necessarily vehicle as they are what kvn229 would consider breeders - they have four kids (and three dogs, a cat, a rabbit and a parrot) - the humans, 2 of the dogs and cat all show on their back window - I should tell my friends they need to update the window, as the third dog is very much part of the family. they rescued her this spring, when they found it running wild in a park. and the ranger said if they turned it in to the pound it would probably be put down (she had a bad case of mange)
in their everyday life, this family defies all sorts of stereotypes - defying and battling stereotypes isn't too bad of a thing - maybe you and dave should embrace the stickers! hee hee!!