Back in the 1960’s, some genius
with a printing press invented what is now called bumper stickers. Bumper stickers were preceded by cardboard
signs which were wired onto one’s bumper to advertise amusement parks and roadside
attractions. The cardboard signs didn’t
have the durability and longevity of the vinyl adhesive-backed variety, though.
Originally advertising for
“Peace” and later political affiliations, bumper stickers had some appeal that
is everlasting to some. Eventually,
these stickers evolved into large daisies that often adorned the inaugural VW
Beetles and vans to make them cuter.
Stickers with NRA, or OBX, or 26.2, now adorn many bumpers on our
highways.
Over the past half-century, the
means of advertising has changed in ways few could have imagined.
Nearly everyone, today, has a
cause of some sort. Way back when, since
we were unable to carry around our vehicles, we moved to a more mobile method
of wearing our hearts on our heads by implementing t-shirts. Clothing as a conduit to spread personal
thoughts and affiliations has been popular since the 1970’s
But, dressing for an office or
similar scenario limited the use of t-shirts.
Enter the creation of pins. These
pins – still available and in use – come in hat and lapel variations.
Fraternal organizations, military
units, governmental entities, private enterprises, and scholastic groups, all
use these pins to indicate membership or rank, or both. Akin to armed services identification, such
pins are instant forms of informal identification used to garner respect and
admiration, not unlike those cardboard and wire bumper ads that made neighbors
green with envy because of your 1964 trip to Howe Caverns.
A decade ago, we switched from
lapel and hat pins to wrist bands.
Cheesy and made of rubber, they began with a unique color indicating
one’s special cause for buying and wearing one.
Depression is green, cancer is
yellow, AIDS is red, breast cancer is pink, child abuse is blue, tree saving is
green – uh, I thought that was depression.
Maybe you get depressed when you can’t save a decaying, dangerous tree. And, that yellow cancer one is for Lance
Armstrong’s cancer as breast cancer doesn’t count. FYI, Mr. Armstrong’s cancer could be
attributed to his years of self-injection of steroids to better compete in his
Tour de France bicycle races. Buying
them is supposed to support that special cause and possibly give the wearer a
sense of superiority with an “I care more” attitude. But, I digress.
This nonsense is out of
control. Breast cancer awareness month
is October. This is time when NASCAR
teams, football players, golfers, and many others, decorate their uniforms,
cars, and accessories with pink. Begun
in the 1990’s this “pink” campaign originated with pink ribbons being worn to
‘make people aware’ of breast cancer.
Today, this breast cancer
campaign is getting old as after 20-years, everyone should be aware and the
collected monies from those cheap bracelets and ribbons, et al, should be going to the cure itself rather than useless
trinkets. And, wearing those silly
ribbons and bracelets doesn’t make anyone more compassionate than those who
don’t.
Maybe we should go back to
advertising those special places we visited like Howe Caverns.
