I know I've already complained about the stick figure families on the back of SUV's and minivans. It's a trend that doesn't look like it's going away. On the contrary, there are now lots of variations: aside from showing the family doing their favourite activities, you can also have them wearing the uniform of their favourite sports team. Or you can show your family as zombies. Or Star Wars characters. Speaking of which: if you're depicting R2-D2 as part of your family, doors that represent your pet or your child? Or your Roomba?
What's interesting is how they tell stories about a family. Not so much if you have a stereotypical family with a stick-father, stick-mother, and 2.2 stick-kids. But if I see just one parent and kids, I feel sympathy for what they've been through. I suppose you'd only put your kids on if you have exclusive custody: otherwise you'd want to just have a dotted outline of your kids.
On the other hand, if it's two parents and no kids, it feels like they're rubbing it in. They're saying, not only are we unimpeded by children, we're still young and innocent enough to use this meme that was intended for children. On the other hand, it's so sad to see a minivan with two parent stickers but no kids, they've probably been trying for a while.
Sometimes the stickers tell a weird story. Once I saw men playing hockey, two men drinking, a couple of kids, and three dogs. I'd love to know the story behind that.
So rather that be angry about this trend, I've become supportive of it. It's our culture's attempt to tell stories through pictures, the way the Maori use tattoos. Don't stop at displaying your familial arrangements; tell your whole life story in your back window. Maybe I'll have some sympathy for you when you cut me off if I can see your unhappy childhood in the process.
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