I was having a PM exchange with another member regarding my post about guys wearing white sunglasses and commented that other observations I've made about these guys are that they are high school guys who drive tricked-out $40k+ pickups and have an unusually large Oakley decal plastered in the center of the rear window. Here, it's almost cult-like. So, this got me to thinking (no, really!). A lot of people adorn their vehicles with bumper stickers, decals and the like to show affiliation with their schools, sub-cultures (the Apple apple, the Browning deer head, Harley badge, etc.) or to make some kind of statement, political, religious, lifestyle (26.2), or humorous. But I'm at a loss over the Oakley thing. I have plenty of Oakley products, but I don't adorn my trucks with their O. I have plenty of pairs of Nike, but there's no Swoosh on my vehicles, either. Focus: What are some of the odder adornments you've seen recently on vehicles and what associated observations have you made? Alt. Focus: Do you decal your vehicle? With what? Alt. Alt. Focus: Can you explain the whole Oakley thing to an old guy?
I choose not to deface the beauty of the Mustang in any way. I've never been a fan of bumperstickers. As for the Oalkey sunglasses, I don't get it either. Do they not realize they look kinda gay?
Two words: Truck Nutz. Seriously, WTF? It seems like everybody with a decked out truck around here has a set of fucking testicles hanging from the trailer hitch. Now, I'll be the dirt to admit that I don't mind a little crudeness and vulgarity, but this is kind of sick and not funny. At all. I just don't get it. Oakley stickers used to be cool with the 80s kids and their low rider trucks, but I don't really know why. I used to do too many stickers, but now I'm older and not an idiot. I stick with the factory look on my rides.
Focus: Truck nuts both crack me up and let me know the owner is an idiot at the same time. Alt. Focus: No decals for me. But, I have a hitch plug with a college logo on it on my truck. Alt. Alt. Focus: I am also old, and not being able to explain the white Oakley's is on a long list of things I don't get about "kids today." Edit: I was typing too slow on the truck nuts thing - see I'm so old, I didn't know it was spelled with a "z."
I'm a big gear head and vehicle enthusiast myself but you will never see stickers or things that do not serve a purpose on any of my stuff. I always laugh at the stickers that show the name of their vehicle, soft drink stickers, and the giant redneck hunting stickers. If you want to show support to a cause a little sticker here or there is fine but come on. Also, truck nuts:
I'd love to put truck nutz on my scooter....then again, I'll look even gayer on it. I have several stickers on my scooter. Partially to cover up the scrapes when a drunk girl dropped it on a curb...last time I used it to get laid. Anyways, I have the following: My old tattoo shop sticker: supporting the artist Burton: came with snowboard apparel Vestal: came with watch LV (latvia) in a white oval thinger: mom's from there Electric logo: came with sunglasses, also put it over my gas cap, so maybe people will think it's actually electric Pretty random, but hey, the stickers were all free/included in purchase. On the SUV I drive when it's shitty out, I have my soon-to-be alma mater on there. Too bad the read windshield is tinted out so you can't really see it. Nothing on my bike, though. Gotta keep that shit pristine. So if you see a guy riding around Chicago on a blue scooter with a bunch of stickers on it, I swear, I'm not gay!
I have one bumper sticker on my car, from Disney World. My little girl wanted to buy it and put it on our car. I couldn't say no.
I'm an atheist with a healthy amount of respect for people who choose to believe in something higher. That being said, the Jesus Fish on cars gets me irrationally angry. Like full on 'I want to ram you' outraged. I always see them and think I should carry around some of the ones where the fish have feet and say 'Darwin' inside to replace them with. It just seems tacky to proclaim your faith via your rear end.
It's been about 15 years since the Oakley craze was finished here in the NYC area. Is it coming back, or are you guys living in Mississippi?
I don't put anything on my car*, because I think it's dumb. I don't even have a Tigers decal, because usually when I see one on the road I assume that person's a bandwagon hopping tool, and I don't want people thinking that about me. (My favorite Tigers hat doesn't even have a D on it.) When I was in high school my dad put the Seniors '05 sticker in my window. Then when I graduated he put a University of Michigan sticker in my window, but I don't have that car anymore. *My dad put Jasper Engines stickers on the rear windows after the engine got rebuilt while I was away at school, and my friends then associated that with my car (Now called Jasper) so those are the only things on there.
The best one I have ever seen is as I was pulling up to a stop sign while looking in my rear view mirror. It was printed backwards so I could read it (like the ambulance sticker on the hood) It read "watch the road in front of you JACKASS" God I love my hillbilly town.
I once saw a jacked up truck with a "got porn?" decal along with many of those lovely naked lady silhouettes and other similar sentiments. Hey pal, I like porn as much as the next person, but I am not going to advertise it on my vehicle.
I fucking hate the family cartoon sticker decal. Spoiler Who pays for that shit? Why do I need to know that your chevy tahoe may contain Mom, Dad, Brody, Kady, and of course the family pooch Wagsy. So you're the perfect nuclear family living the fucking American dream. Fuck you. Chances are the Dad is hopeless in debt after he over extended himself to get the McMansion that his wife insisted on when she wasn't hopped up on valium or busy complaining about how the latin help doesn't respect Tanner's budding serial killer ass and refuses to remake Kady's sandwiches without the crust. And Wagsy. You little pomerian sum bitch, I shouldn't hate you, but I do. I want to drop kick you over the chaise lounge that the Mom has designated as your special place. But in end I win, because Tanner probably ends up in jail after his fifteenth DUI and Kady has enough of her family's shit, decides to go full on lesbo and gets more fists in her than a Jackie Chan flick.
I have 5 stickers on my truck but 3 of them are coming off this weekend. This one will not be one of those.
The decals that I absolutely hate the most are the ones with Calvin pissing on a brand logo or, even worse, kneeling in front of a cross. Now before anyone goes off on me for not liking the cross one because I'm anti religious or something, that's not the case. I hate those stickers because I am a huge fan of Calvin & Hobbes and Bill Watterson specifically refused to allow for any type of merchandising of those characters. Therefor those stickers are just stupid ripoffs that are simply a disgrace to the best cartoon strip ever created. I hate the cross version even worse because its like those people that made them couldn't come up with something original so they had to try and go against the pissing ones. Alt Focus: I have a Phish decal on my front windshield right underneath my rear view mirror so that I can't even really see it. I'm a pretty big Phish fan and so I couldn't help but put it on there. I also have a sticker on my back windshield that says "Jules" and some other stuff. It's for our friend Julia who died in a car accident in January and all of my roommates and most of our friends have one on their car too. I think that one is pretty understandable (even though the letters are bright pink and it makes it look like my car is a girls car, I don't care).
The absolute worst decal Ive ever seen was on an old school (80's) civic that had fake rims and a huge muffler cap sticking out the back. It said Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in huge green Halloween style font across the entire back window. So intimidating. I only have a really faded 9/11 decal my dad stuck on my car right after the event. Ill second the Calvin and Hobbes crap. I really couldnt care less if you love your Chevy over a Ford plus that damn comic strip wasn't even that funny to begin with.
Conversation license plates. Hell, vanity plates are irritating enough: "Check it out, bro! My new plates that say FUKSTIK are in!"..but conversation license plates are one of the douchiest inventions on the planet, up there with fake tans and Jesus bling. I'm not a big car guy, but I hate tricked out anything. In my world, adding parts to your $2500 car that it didn't come with in the first place (for a reason) like expensive rims, ground effects, black lights, screwed-on spoilers etc. just make you look like a huge asshole. Even WORSE is when someone adds modern touches to GREAT cars like Cameros or Chevelles. That is a death sentence. Also, Jesus Fish. My buddy used to "collect" them from cars while working at a full-service gas station as a teenager. He had about seventy, then we glued them to my first car and I drove around like that for three weeks (the car died shortly after, unfortunetly). You'd better believe I was the cock of the walk at school. Finally, people that have the "name" of the car ("Shaggin' Wagon", "Skinsmobile", etc.) shop-painted on the side of their car should be shot and pissed on. I'm not wrong.
I can't find a pic to post, but I laugh my ass off when a carload of Mexicans have their last name or Mexican state spelled out in Olde English letters across their rear windshield. There's lots of 'em here in New Old Mexico (the American south west). It's so corny, I kinda appreciate it.