A car near my house has a bumper sticker that says "babette ate oatmeal." All lower case.
I like bumper stickers. I get a kick out of trying to figure out what a person is like by the text on their car:
ERACISM.
La Nouvelle Orleans - C'est Chez Nous
WWOZ (or ZOMM, if they put it on upside down).
College allegiance. (LSU? Clemson? Arkansas? Alabama?)
NPR or NRA supporter (almost never both).
Proud parent.
Fraternity/sorority.
MOLON LABE.
Church affiliation.
Seems like everyone has a desire to choose their "tribe", announcing to all other drivers (and maybe a frightened pedestrian or two who thought they were safe on the sidewalk) what group they belong to.
Then there is the occasional pop-culture reference. You'll see Trekkers that make a reference to Death Stars, or something. Brownsuits that make Lightning Bug references. Bronies that have subtle mentions of Princess Twilight (I had to look that one up - I swear. And now I have that blasted song in my head...)
And those who are in the tribe see the reference and grin.
My personal tendency is towards the unexpected pun or inside joke. I know.... surprise, surprise. But the "LEGALIZE ZAMATA" sticker has been on my tailgate for quite a while now. And I always get a chuckle when I see one that I didn't expect. My current favorite is "WATCH OUT FOR THE IDIOT BEHIND ME". I am not sure how that identifies my tribe, exactly. But it amuses me nonetheless. Maybe my tribe comprises people who appreciate goofy humor.
So, after first seeing the neighbor's bumper sticker around the corner, I walked around mouthing the Babette phrase for a while. Not looking it up, of course, because that would be gaining entry into a tribe without going through the initiation ceremony. Who does that? Every time I walked the dogs around the block, I'd try again. To no avail. What does it mean? Is there an oatmeal pun
I like bumper stickers. I get a kick out of trying to figure out what a person is like by the text on their car:
ERACISM.
La Nouvelle Orleans - C'est Chez Nous
WWOZ (or ZOMM, if they put it on upside down).
College allegiance. (LSU? Clemson? Arkansas? Alabama?)
NPR or NRA supporter (almost never both).
Proud parent.
Fraternity/sorority.
MOLON LABE.
Church affiliation.
Seems like everyone has a desire to choose their "tribe", announcing to all other drivers (and maybe a frightened pedestrian or two who thought they were safe on the sidewalk) what group they belong to.
Then there is the occasional pop-culture reference. You'll see Trekkers that make a reference to Death Stars, or something. Brownsuits that make Lightning Bug references. Bronies that have subtle mentions of Princess Twilight (I had to look that one up - I swear. And now I have that blasted song in my head...)
And those who are in the tribe see the reference and grin.My personal tendency is towards the unexpected pun or inside joke. I know.... surprise, surprise. But the "LEGALIZE ZAMATA" sticker has been on my tailgate for quite a while now. And I always get a chuckle when I see one that I didn't expect. My current favorite is "WATCH OUT FOR THE IDIOT BEHIND ME". I am not sure how that identifies my tribe, exactly. But it amuses me nonetheless. Maybe my tribe comprises people who appreciate goofy humor.
