Sing for your Supper

I think I’ve said this before, but I hope everyone who reads this has a thick skin. If not, I will offend you sooner or later. Today’s post may be the one. Here’s to hope!

I have a new pet peeve. Well, it’s not really that new. But it now bothers me enough to complain about it. So the complaining is new.

It seems that about every 4^th car in Alabama has vinyl lettering on the rear window that says something close to the following: “In Memory of Jimmy Smith 1965-2007.” I don’t get it. I have a few problems with this particular expression of “grief.”

First, what exactly are you dedicating to their memory? Are driving in memory of Pawpaw? If so did you just cut me off in his memory also? Maybe it was the obscene gesture you threw my way; or the very foul word you mouthed in my direction. Was Pawpaw’s road rage so profound that you feel the need to dedicate every trip, no matter how mundane, to his screaming, cursing, bird-flipping legacy?

Maybe the car itself is dedicated to their memory. But what happens when you sell the car? That would make a great classified ad: “FOR SALE – 2004 Uncle Horatio Memorial Kia Sedona. Runs Great. Low Mileage. 555-1234.” We want to honor the memory of our loved ones... at least until the lease runs out.

Problem number 2. Who is the sticker for? Is it for the “mourner”? If so shouldn’t the sticker actually be visible to them. These things are obviously meant for the benefit of the general public. It’s a benefit I can do without. I don’t need to know when your Cousin Jim Bob died.

This is another example of the “Look-At-Me” society we have become. “Please feel sorry for me, I know someone who died (3 years ago). She was so important to me that I wanted her name stuck to my rear window (where I cannot possibly see it) to remind me of her.”

Which brings me to the third problem I have with these stickers. I don’t care. I don’t care about your friends or loved ones who have passed away. Maybe that’s too harsh. I don’t like to hear about anyone dying. It makes me sad when people lose friends or family members. But here’s the truth of it: People die! Their families mourn and then they get on with their lives. Feeling a little empty maybe, but they move on. Most people don’t feel the need to tell every stranger they meet that their grandmother died. At least normal people don’t.

If you have an “In Memory of…” sticker on your car I invite your feedback. Let me know why it’s there. Unless your sticker says “In Memory of Fluffy.” In that case, you should stop reading now and get some Goo Gone and a razor.