Bumper sticker politics

By Jason Byassee

It’s always dangerous to weigh in on bumper sticker ethics. But on a recent cross-country drive I saw a couple of gems:

“I’m already against the next war.”

This one is clearly and cleverly aimed at the planners of an attack on Iran, who are desperately trying to start another theater in the War on Terror before their chief leaves the White House. The same drummed-up arguments are being rolled out, the same sham outrages and veneer of human rights arguments. This bumper sticker ethicist sees the plan, opposes it and is telling people about it.

The problem: how does he know?

What if we Americans, miracle of miracles, found ourselves in a defensive war in which we needed to defend our home territory and there were a clear mandate for fighting? This driver would probably need to rethink his position—even if he or she is a pacifist, the rationale behind avoiding particular wars will differ.

A second bumper sticker, from the opposite perspective, said: “My son defends your right to have stupid bumper stickers.”

The driver, no doubt from a military family with a sense of humor, is using the old paternalistic yarn about the military’s valor in protecting pointy-headed pacifists while they’re off doing the dirty work to keep us safe, no thanks from us. It’s Jack Nicholson screaming at Tom Cruise, “You want me on that wall, you need me on that wall!” And it’s false. There is no immanent threat on America’s territory, form of government, practice of democracy and so on—except from those claiming to keep us safe. There will always be people who wish to do us harm and should be resisted—anyone who claims they can keep us totally safe from that threat should not be trusted.

Final bumper sticker: “Minivans are proof of the existence of evil.” That one hurt, as I drove by this young idealistic would-be hippy in our Toyota Sienna, The problem: her car presumably burns fossil fuel too, if a bit less quickly. I didn’t mean to get a mini-van, we had kids, and suddenly couldn’t fit car seats into something smaller. I’m still on the hunt for that hybrid mini, but failing to find it we’re doing our best. I would’ve taken the zing better perhaps if she’d peddled by on her bike.

But bully for snappy, funny, meaty bumper stickers. They make the drive more interesting and spark conversation. In a culture where citizens no longer talk to one another in measured tones, we may as well zing one another as we wile away hours on the highway.

Comments

[Rev J]

Nice post...I have always enjoyed bumper stickers. My question is when do you take them off? Recently I past a Kerry '04 sticker...how relevant are the people in that car?

[Jason Byassee]

I've more than once lately seen Nixon/Agnew '72 around, oddly enough. Someone must sell those as a sort of retro gag.

[real live preacher]

I drive a mini van, but probably won't much longer. Oldest daughter is leaving. But when you have three kids, the mini-van is a salvation. Whichever one has her panties most in a wad gets the back seat all to herself.

My question about bumper stickers is the person who puts them on his or her car. What is it that causes them to have such a need to trumpet little snippets of worldviews before total strangers?

[Suzy]

real live preacher, I've lately been tempted to buy one that said, "My kids and all my money go to XXX University," just to justify driving the car I drive. Sure, I'd like to have a hybrid. I just need to figure out which child to sell.

My son is outraged by those "I support the troops" ribbons because he says what the owners of those vehicles really mean is "(and you don't)". He's 23; he's passionate about a lot of ideas. But the only emblem on his car is a little fish with feet, a dorsal fin, and a cross in place of an eye — because he says, he really believes all that.

[Pastor Terry]

When I first read the original post, I thought that perhaps it might just be an actually dialogue on Christian ethics being introduced into public debate through the medium of bumper stickers but then as I read on it is simply musings on stickers in general.
The assumption that one must (!) change one's view about the next war if we are the victims of instead of our common position as the perpetrators of war does run smack up against the Gospel now doesn't it? Or did Jesus actually qualify and limit all that Love one another stuff?

[Jason Byassee]

Terry the glory and the nuisance of a blog is that one can't control what commenters will want to comment about.
My claim about the next war is not at all to say that defensive violence is ok and aggressive violence is not. It's to say that outright pacifists even don't know HOW they're against the next war until it happens. The arguments they're opposing will differ, the manner in which they embody non-violence will never be exactly the same. Dorothy Day's response to WWII was simply different than the Berrigans' to Vietnam--"pacifism" and "non-violence" are not monolithic postures fixed in granite. They describe people committed to following Jesus in a certain way whose pilgrimage, like all Christians', will look different from one phase to the next.

[Suzy]

Therein lies the trouble with bumper-sticker slogans: They're glib by nature. Sorry if I contributed to the off-track comments.

I want to second Jason's post. On one level, we'd all no doubt oppose a war on our own soil, but we need to acknowledge that it's not as easy as all that. The many people who live in war zones don't have the luxury of pacifist bumper stickers. They have to figure out how to survive to promote peace. They have to decide how much risk their families should bear, and few of us oppose war so much that we'd willingly hand our children over to be loaded onto the cattle cars. Dealing with the real world does require more thought than fits neatly on a bumper sticker, and part of that analysis must involve how much violence we are willing to sow to reap our own peace. For most of us, if we are honest, the answer is not "absolutely none." It's pretty easy to feel like a virtuous pacifist when the war is halfway around the world and many of our neighbors are sporting "patriotic" bumper stickers, but we shouldn't delude ourselves into believing that we've gotten really good at turning the other cheek.

[Rick Brand]

I, for one, if I still had the car, would drive it with the Kerry bumper sticker in order to proudly declare. "It ain't me, baby, no, no, no, it ain't me," that caused all this mess.

[Sarah S. Howell]

Our old minivan (which my sister now drives--because my mom got a hybrid!) still has a Kerry/Edwards bumper sticker...

[Scott Johnson]

I think we just need more "Calvin peeing on ____" window decals - 'cause, you know, there aren't enough of those out there already.

[Pastor Terry]

Thanks for your comments which point out just how complicated our current world of violence is. I have, on my very best days, barely reached the category of being a Pacifist "wanna-be". I know all too well that at the first real threat to my family all my animal urges would be in the opposite direction. So perhaps, the best way to enter this subject into public debate is in the form of a question rather than implying that we have the answer.

[Pastor Michael]

Is it possible that the discussion about pacifism misses the point?
Jesus said "blessed are the peacemakers." Simply resisting war doesn't make peace, therefore I'm opposed to the next war regardless of where it's fought because any war means that I've failed as a peacemaker.

[Jason Byassee]

The problem for pacifists is how to keep pacifism from taking the place of Jesus as the one they worship--if something becomes the Principle you adhere to why not just worship that and cast off the rest? So you have to be careful how you articulate things and say something like 'given the character of the Lord we follow we can't imagine how doing violence would be faithful to him.' This is different than Karl Barth's caveat that God could, in theory, have God's people do violence, and so one can't claim the mantle of pacifism at all. Sometimes people misdescribe Yoder as "a principled pacifist"--it's the "principled" part that's a problem.

[Pastor Terry]

I would suggest that the problem of worshiping a "principal", whether it is that of Pacifism or some other principal for life, comes about when we think we can do this or achieve this on our own. I believe in attempting to follow the "Way" through the actions in my life. Pacifism or more preferably active non-violence in opposition to the injustices perpetrated by the powers against the "least of these" is certainly part of my understanding of the "Way". But I need to always keep in mind just whose "way" that I am attempting to follow. When I start thinking in terms of "My Way" vs "Jesus Way" thats when I get in trouble and fall hopelessly short. Then I need to once again ask for forgiveness and guidance to redirect my efforts back to the path that God would have me follow.

[Jason Byassee]

Amen.

[k woodworth]

I like humorous bumper stickers, too. I saw one that personifies the desire for absolute control by the leftist liberals. "Friends don't let friends vote Republican"

Another one said "Cold weather is a dirty evangelical conspiracy to discredit global warming"

[Steve]

"There is no immanent threat on America’s territory, form of government, practice of democracy and so on—except from those claiming to keep us safe." Just so I understand: You think we're more in danger from Gen. Petraeus than from Osama bin Laden or Ahmadinejad(sp?) ?

[Jason Byassee]

Sigh.
I said no such thing, did I?
But hey, thanks for putting words in my mouth.
And for demonstrating the new MO of the right: troll looking for something offensive someone has said, and then hyperventilate while expressing mock outrage. "Michele Obama hates her country! Oh the humanity!"

[Pastor Jon]

I hate to "pile on" my Republican sisters & brothers. I guess Democrats are more gifted by God at creating short, pithy sayings as evidenced by the bumper sticker I saw recently: 01.20.09 -- The end of an error

[John VanDerWalker]

Jason,
Thank you for a thoughtful essay. I think, too that our greatest threat is ourselves, or more appropriately our ignorance, our apathy and our willingness to jump on board a cause without thought given to implications.

I would love to drive something more efficient and while a hybrid sounds good on the surface I have some reservations that might best be formed in questions.

1)How much energy does it take to produce the batteries in a hybrid?
2)How much energy does it take to recycle those batteries at the end of their lives?
3)What kinds of toxins are being unleashed through battery manufacture?
I have not researched the answers to the questions so I am not jumping yet.

As a administrative minister I drive about 30000 miles a year and fly probably half that much as well. This has been reduced by electronic communication, but ministry is best done face to face so how can I be effective and a good steward? I know that bio fuels and hybrids are not the entire answer, I feel like they are just props (bio fuels are a snow job) to maintain a wasteful lifestyle. As we approach Holy week I wonder if the attitude that Jesus took with his life is one that applies to us: we have to surrender this lifestyle willingly or life will not continue. Can the message of hope in the resurrection inform our approach to global climate change?
Thanks for making me think

[Richard]

All: If you want to be energy efficient, do your part against global warming (for whatever reasons are causing it), make America energy-independent, and so on...don't worry about hybrid cars. Take your car, now, right now, whatever it is, and simply DRIVE THE SPEED LIMIT.
The gas savings to you and to the country (and world) are enormous. Check it out with the feds. They have loads of charts and such. When I see people speeding by, I see arrogance and indifference to our plight. Want to be a rebel, a person who stands his/her ground, just stick to the posted speed limits and you will be.

Richard

[Wendell Franklin Wentz]

My favorite bumper sticker is "Lord, give us a president who cares for all people." I added words to it and made my own, "We pray in the name of God, the Mother of us all."
-Wendell Franklin Wentz

[Jim Weaver]

I'm one of those drivers with the back of my truck plastered with bumper stickers. Why? I want to provoke thought(and maybe action) on current issues. I am fascinated by the reactions of other drivers.The middle finger is beating the thumbs up about two to one. I have recieved notes tucked under my windshield wiper. These are mostly positive. I also beleive that "silence is complicity".
Here are a few samples (most you have seen already)
"Everything is connected"
"Change is inevitable, growth is optional"
God is neither democrat or repunlican"
"When Jesus said 'Love your enemy', He probably meant don't kill them."
"Think: It's patriotic"
"If you aren't totally appalled, you haven't been paying attention" "The problems we face will not be solved by the persons who created them."" Fail until you succeed" "If you think the economy is working, ask someone who isn't"

[Dottie Heidloff Fletcher]

I have half a dozen stickers on my car 5 of which are partisan but the other 2 represent my greatest polical passion which is that everyone votes after deeply looking at the candidates views.

"Democracy is not a spectator sport." That's why I co-chair the Voter Registration Committee for my local League of Women Voters.