Using bumper stickers that already exist and are displayed on vehicles somewhere across the fruited plain give one (1) examples for each category:
a) Low class
b) Middle class
c) Upper class
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Bumper Sticker Status
We covered social class a chapter or so ago. Most of us associated with this class find ourselves somewhere on the middle class pendulum. We use a wide variety of media to convey the message of our class status to whomever will listen. One such method includes Bumper Stickers.
Using bumper stickers that already exist and are displayed on vehicles somewhere across the fruited plain give one (1) examples for each category:
a) Low class
b) Middle class
c) Upper class
Using bumper stickers that already exist and are displayed on vehicles somewhere across the fruited plain give one (1) examples for each category:
a) Low class
b) Middle class
c) Upper class
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Amber Taylor
ReplyDeleteFirst of all bumper stickers can be really tacky and usually the upper class dont put them on their bmw or bennz. But I think a upper class bumper sticker would be a political campaign sticker or a university sticker. A middle class bumper sticker would be a military sticker or something like that or baby on board or parent of a honor roll student.Maybe even a religious stament. And a lower class bumper stickers would be something really tacky like a saying or a complete thought or a hobby.
I have no idea that was just a wild guess!
Kristen Daivs- Online
ReplyDeleteOh wow, this is a tough one. I find bumper stickers really tacky myself, but we each have our own opinions. I think political, university, or religious bumper stickers are what the upper class are more likey to put on their cars. Middle class cars probably have honor roll student stickers, stickers from their children's athletic teams, things like that. The lower class bumper stickers probably consist of the ones that contain profanity, or the ones that have jokes on them, etc. These are just guesses, I really don't know becuase as I said I think all bumper stickers are tacky.
Kelsey Brook
ReplyDeleteBumper stickers...I happen to love them. My old car had about six of them on it. It's hard to say. I think it's hard to judge one's class, just on the type of bumper sticker they may have on their vehicle. I think that Military or a child's good grade stickers are of more class, but even political, religious, or support stickers can be petty and immature. People of "higher class" put some of the most ignorant, insulting bumper stickers I've ever seen on their vehicles. I think middle class would just be supporting a cause, or like the one's saying "Peace" or something. I guess the one's seen as lower class are the one's with jokes or sayings on them. I think these could range between middle and low though depending on what is being said. These are mostly what I had on my car, and they may be seen as low class, but I don't necessarily agree. I don't think that just because someone has bumper stickers on their car means that they are low class. I don't see myself that way. They are entertaining for the most part. Enjoy them and get a laugh while you sit in traffic, or rage about them.
Deanna P.
ReplyDeleteI will never put a bumper sticker on my car! I think they are tacky. My mom has about 5 on hers, but they are there to cover dents. But anyways, I think that a political sticker, a university sticker, or a sticker of the emblem (BMW, Lexus, Mercedes)would most likely be on the upper class car- if at all. Middle class cars might have something to do with their child's schooling, sports the kids play, or symbolic pictures (peace sign). Lower class cars would probably have the really tacky stickers that use curse words or have sexual connotations to them or something along that line. I see most of those types of stickers on HUGE jacked up trucks that have some type of camo on them... just saying.
Andrew Salak
ReplyDeleteI wish I could say I'd never put a bumper sticker on my car but in highschool I had one on my van, it said "Smile if you wish you were naked", lol kinda tacky? yea I know. It was highschool...c'mon! But I would definitley consider that to be a lower class bumper sticker. A middle class bumper sticker would prolly be something religious or a military faction, Semper Fe or Coexist. And last for the upper class...I don't really see bumper stickers on the upper class cars. Its a sin to place on on a ferrari, lamborghini, viper, aston martin, or Audi. (I uppercased the "A" in Audi cuz its the best car manufacturer of the 5). but in Beemers and Mercs I see a lot of "W" or Obama, mostly in the rear window corners though, but usually political. And ooh Deanna P. I completely agree with you on the huge jacked up trucks...with the John Deere Deer logo, or once I saw a bumper sticker with whiskey jugs on it and it said "honk for jugs"...LOWER CLASS!!!
I think too much of anything is tacky, including bumper stickers. Less is more! I agree with Deanna. I think a higher class person would have a political bumper sticker, or nothing at all. One of middle class would probably have something religious, or of their child's school, and a lower class one would be something provocative. Bumper stickers actually say a lot about a person...not just social class, but it also reveals if they are a CLASS person at all!
ReplyDeleteAngela Carrozza
ReplyDeleteI totally agree 100% with Maggie and the types of bumper stickers. What you have on your car can say A LOT about you.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletelillian (online)said...
ReplyDeleteBumper stickers can say a lot about your social class. I personally do not care for any bumper stickers in any of my cars. I don't think I have seen a bumper sticker on a BMW, Mercedes Benz, Ferrari, etc (upper class)and can you blame them..who wants to drive a luxury car with a bumper sticker on it(it would be considered tasteless)but i sure have seen bumper stickers on other cars that are not as expensive as the ones i mentioned above. Some bumper stickers show the persons humor, some their religious beliefs, some of proud parents of a child in a honor roll, university, some are political(middle class) and some can be very tasteless(lower class).
Whatever the case might be bumper stickers express a persons point of view about something they strongly believe in.
Kasey Waters(online)--
ReplyDeleteI personally do not know of upper class people who use bumber stickes. I have to say i have never seen bumber stickers on nice cars. Middle class might have bumber stickers about religion, politics, or honor roll. Lower class i think are the ones who go over board on the bumber stickers and they cover the whole backside of the car. Lower class i see as the ones who also have the bad or inappropreite stickers. I also think that the middle class use the "in loving memory". I consider my family to be middle class and we are getting one of the put in bottom cornor of our car window.
Shana M. (Online)
ReplyDeleteI think if the upper class had a bumper sticker on their car that it would have to do with money or a high end college that they attended. Most don't but it can happen! Most middle class people have bumper stickers on their cars that have to do with how proud they are of their children or politics. The lower class usually have bumper stickers on the back of their cars that are funny and/or hateful.
Personally to me bumper stickers are ugly no matter what and I will never put one on my car.
ReplyDeleteUpper class would probably be a campaign or cancer relief, Middle class would be maybe a sport and lower class would be those bumper stickers that say a bunch of sayings and stuff. Thats how I feel
I am really not sure what constitutes as an upper-class bumper sticker. An upper-class bumper sticker could be something like PETA or a polical reference. I agree with Amber Taylor that most upper-class folks that drive a jag, beemer, or mercedes most likely will not taint their car with a bumper sticker. Middle-class and lower-class, I have noticed, tend to have similar tastes when it comes to displaying messages on their vehicle. Some tasteful stickers could be, "baby on board," "my child is an honor student," and "support our troops." All social classes can display tasteless stickers such as "if you're going to ride my butt, at least pull my hair," "where's lee harvey when you need him," and "gun control means hitting your target."
ReplyDeleteKelly Krieg
ReplyDeleteI think that if there were such a thing as an upper class bumer sticker, it would be from a university or like the others have said, a political one. I remember seing a few mercedes driving around with the "W." bumper sticker when Bush was peresident. And according to our book, college graduates make the most money. The middle class would probably be religious bumper stickers. Like the ones wiht the fish on them. I think that those stick family stickers fall into this category too. Who cares how many people and pets are in your family?! The lower class bumper stickers are the ones making jokes to try and offend you or have profanity on them. I also think the stickers that have the persons name in old english fall into this category! Bumper stickers can definately make a car look tacky but no matter what I ALWAYS have to try nd read every one. I can't help it, they are entertaining.
Alexis Gregory
ReplyDeleteA little goes a long way with bumper stickers. I think that bumper stickers definately make a car look tacky. I personally can not stand them, although I do believe a bumper sticker can tell a lot about a person. As far as an Upper class bumper sticker I am not so sure. You usually don't see high dollar cars with bumper stickers. But as for less expensive cars you see them all the time such as a political, university, honor roll student, save a life and so on. Now the lower class are the cars you see covered in stickers that say such thing as referring to their wife, momma, baby daddy, jokes. Although I think bumper stickers are tacky I find myself laughing at them all the time.
Karie Manton - Online
ReplyDeleteI do not have any bumper stickers on my car. I guess I usually make class judgements by the type of car instead of the type of bumper stickers. I have noticed that the nicer the car the less likely it is to have a bumper sticker on it. Window stickers are more common and they are usually either political statements or University stickers. Middle class cars are more likely to display the family type stickers and the lower class cars are more likely to have humorous or controversial stickers.
I have to agree with everyone on this. Bumper stickers are not my thing. When I bought my car recently, it was covered in bumper stickers. I bought it from a man who was religious. He had a big bumper sticker that said "Real men love Jesus." It came off easy. As far as the upper class is concerned, I never see bumper stickers on BMW's, Mercedes or Porsches. I guess it is a lower level thing! Even though I am lower class, I have never put a bumper sticker on my car, no matter how bad of shape it was in.
ReplyDeleteRuth Njunge ( Online) in response to Amber Taylor
ReplyDeleteI agree with Amber that stickers can be really tacky. The upper class don’t put sticker on their Lamborghini’s. But if one has to, upper class bumper sticker would be a political campaign sticker. A middle class bumper sticker would be a military sticker or a student. Maybe even a religious sticker. Lower class cars are more likely to have humorous or controversial stickers.
Felicia Cleveland - online
ReplyDeleteA lower class sticker would probably have some sort of foul language in the wording. A middle class sticker would a political view on the person they may be voting for. I agree with the concensus that the upper class wont have sticker on their vehicle
I think the upper class bumper sticker is for political used. They used their vehicles to promote the politician. The middle class bumper sticker i think they used it to advertised their product or their or company(fro example. carpet cleaner, roofing and ,etc.) The lower class bumper sticker, mostly, they used it to promote their gang or organization. some of them they just used it for a style to make their vehicle cool (thye did that in my country).
ReplyDeletePersonally, I don't find bumper stickers tacky at all, as I see them as a personal way of conveying a message. Now depending on the message, it can be tacky. But when you are a proud parent of a honor student, or you are one yourself, you want the whole world to know. When you just got married or had your first child, you are proud to announce it to whoever want to read it on your bumper sticker; or when you want to let people know that you became part of history by voting for Barack Obama, you want to stick it on your bumper. High class, middle class, low class, everybody has something to be proud of and wants to share with the whole world.
ReplyDeleteI think that a lower class bumper sticker would be something completely out there and has so purpose at all such as "The closer you get the slower I drive." Yet this bumper sticker is true but it states a reason as to why this person has the sticker but was it necessary?? A middle class sticker I would think would be like a cancer sticker or military just to show support. And a higher class bumper sticker would be like a political sticker like for a presidential campaign or democratic or republican sticker.
ReplyDeleteJennifer O'Dea (Online)
ReplyDeleteI never thought of bumper stickers as defining a person in terms of upper, lower, or middle class. I always thought of them as showcasing a person's perpsective ona given topic. I guess now that the view has been pointed out; I can see how this canbe the case; at least in regards to politics, religion, and even school/education- one candefinatly make an assumption; not sure as to how accurate they can be.
Daniela velez.
ReplyDeletei think that just by looking at one car with a lot of bumper stikers you can define a person. and the social class he or she is at. if he or she has a lot is a a lower class and if they dont have at all is a higher class
I think that the llower class bumper sticker would be something like a joke or maybe a swipe at someone else, the middle class would be one of the family with the little figures for mom, dad, and baby, and upper class wouldn't have one most likely but they would probably have a university sticker or maybe a football teams logo.
ReplyDeleteI would never put a bumper sticker on my car. I do like reading other peoples though and will even speed up or slow down to make one out. I agree that upper class people don't usually have them. They might have a Masonic symbol or Order of the Eastern Star, I don't think MENSA gives out bumper stickers.. Middle class stickers would be "I'm a proud parent of...." or something and low class stickers are things that I don't want to have to explain to my kids. For instance at WalMart the other day I saw one that said "I'm only horny on days that end in y" Of course one of the kids wants to know what horny means and another one wants to know what day doesn't end in y.
ReplyDeleteErica C.
ReplyDeleteI think I would have to agree with everyone else on this. I think that upper class people would probably have something political, or nothing at all. I work in an area with a lot of upper class families, and if they have bumper stickers, they are usually supporting a politician. I think middle class would have a bumper stick from their child's school probably, or maybe the college they went to, or the college they support. I think lower class people would have the entertaining bumper stickers. The ones that are funny, or have some kind of joke. These are tacky, and I wouldnt put them on my car, but they are funny to read sometimes.
Liberty (Online)
ReplyDeleteI agree that most upper class people will not put bumper stickers on their vehicles. And if they did, it probably would be political. I would not be so quick to judge other people that do have them because like everyone else has already said, they are like a train wreck and you just can't help looking at them. We all owe someone for a laugh or two from their bumper! However, I looked online and found an example for each class, whether they would use it or not, who knows! Lower: "Honk if anything falls off" Middle: " Can I pay my Visa with my Master Card?" Upper: "If at first you don't succeed... blame someone else and seek counselling" Okay, maybe the last one was a little rough, but uppper class was not easy!
Cathryn Long (online)
ReplyDeletea.) Low class - The only mark I've made in life is in my underwear.
b.) Middle class - Where Would Jesus Shop?
Walmart destroying American Middle Class
Always
c.) Upper class - Work Harder, Millions on Welfare Depend on You.
Lisa W.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Maggie!
I don't have bumper stickers on my car, but I don't think they're tacky unless they're provocative or overdone.
Sardia Irvine
ReplyDeleteI don't really think that you can put class on what bumper sticker someone has on their car because they all seem a little tacky to me. I think a person who is low or middle class can put a high class bumper sticker on thier car because that is what they aspire for in life. Vice Versa you can have a so called high class person who has some low class beliefs put a certain kind of bumper sticker on their car. I just saw a bumper sticker the other day with a picture of the towers from 911 that said "All I need to know about Muslims is what I saw on 911". Obviously low class!
I have never been into putting bumper stickers on a car. I am too fearful of them ever coming off if I have to resale the vehicle. Also, I am a bit of a car enthusiast and appreciate a cleaner look.
ReplyDeletea)"Shut up, and drive" Cellphone picture to the side.
b)"My son/daughter is an honor student at X School"
c)"Don't let your babies grow up to be surveyors"
The above, motionbrent, was posted by:
ReplyDeleteBrent Reese
Tues/Thurs 8pm
Hannah McAlpine
ReplyDeleteLower class- "And on the 8th day, God created rednecks"
Middle Class- the Jesus fish
Upper Class- "My daughter goes to Harvard"
NADIA
ReplyDeleteYes I agree the car stickers shows the statu of people,
Lower class stickers related to God or Jesus,
Middle class related to humorus,
Upper class related to some upper class personality like GOVR, REP,or good colleges
Nice post !! i am looking for this kind of post from last many days thanks for share it with us. Read our blog for : School sticker
ReplyDelete