The end of the political bumper sticker
Some very interesting facts from this Atlantic article about bumper stickers, specifically political ones. Did you know that the bumper sticker as we know it can be traced back to 1934 to a guy named Forest Gill? His company, Gill-Line Productions, was one of the first to create bumper stickers in order to advertise for vacation spots. Places like national parks, theme parks, and State pride. These stickers quickly became a political banner for local and national politics as it became a way to tell other drivers who you were voting for or what stance you took on a particularly dividing issue.
But in this age of TV and social media, the bumper sticker, at least politically, is falling away. The stickers are seen as eyesores, pathetic callouts on the road that suggest the driver in the car being driven is a little too holier-than-thou. I say, good riddance. These stickers are lame and political ones are even more so.