I heart NY and other bumper stickers.
Here are some of my favorites
–> Ass, cash or grass
–> War is bad for women, children, and other living things.
–> Save the whales
–> Make love, not war
–> The Shark with a line through it for surfers
–> Coexist with all the religious icons
–> The Mystery Spot
In the age of AI and the electric car, I see things really changing fast in front of me. And although my mother says she misses the old days (I used to laugh at her), I think about women’s liberation, Gloria Steinem, how women are closer to equal pay now, and that I am the CCO of a digital marketing firm. Things have evolved, mostly for the good of humanity.
Even now covid weaves its way into parts of the conversation at some point. B.C. stands for “Before covid”, really. Or as we fondly called it the ‘Vid.
I have always been a fan of bumper stickers. As a graphic designer, it’s a space to share a message. A space to share a heart, what you love, a passion, or even what makes you different.
My favorite one growing up was the humpback whale jumping over a moon and rainbow with stars on a clear circle. Bumper stickers for the most part are meant to share love, inspiration, joy, and funny stuff right?
You can’t have the dark without the light, You can’t have the sun shine through the window without a shadow on the carpet. Lately it feels like people’s dark side is on the bumper sticker.
I get startled when I see the opposite of love and humor on a bumper sticker. (When did I get so sensitive? Maybe I have always been that way) I get sad when I see people sharing hate on a bumper sticker. As Ester Hicks says. “A war against war is still a war.”
One of the bumper stickers I have been seeing around are: “hate the man, not the car”. Although the owners of the bumper stickers have the right to share hate (1st Amendment, right?), I’m set back when I see these love-lacking bumper stickers whizzing by me on the road.
The bumper sticker on the back of the car is an open space to share whatever you want on it. Whether its about Greenpeace, “my kid is an honor roll student at X school”, whatever you like. So taking up airtime to share hate makes me sad. Why not share the opposite of hate, and share something to inspire people to do better? To communicate with love and transform the planet for good, not spreading the message of hate?
I guess as we age, we turn into our parents. Like my mom said, I am starting to miss the old days. I miss bumper stickers that had messages of peace and love.
As we move farther away from 2020, the scars that are healing from Covid are still visible. Healed over? For some, maybe, but the impact remains. It left a traumatizing mark on people. People are still reactive and more full of fear than ever. Fear drives hate. Fear drives love from the building.
As we get into Q2 and we roll into a solid 2025, I wish everyone centeredness, peace, and the ability to go inside and pick love first whenever possible. Because ultimately, fear and hate don’t mobilize change; love does.
With Love, Laney
