So…am I supposed to honk?
So, I was driving through Alma on my way to get some food this morning before heading in to Fort Smith to work, and I wound up at a stop light behind a big black SUV bearing a bumper sticker with the following words:
SOMEBODY I LOVE WAS MURDERED!
I have to admit, this made me do a bit of a double-take. Don’t get me wrong, that’s absolutely horrible, and I feel for this person. But at the same time, their willingness to metaphorically run that notice up that flagpole so it’s the first thing you see of them is a bit off-putting. This is someone who must be a hoot in casual conversation. “Hey, by the way? Somebody I love…” “…was murdered? You too? Man, that sucks,” I’d say. I flinch a little bit at the thought of making fun of this person’s heartfelt (and yet mass-produced and adhesive-backed) self-expression, but at the same time…it just strikes me as yet another symptom of our culture’s obsession with victimization – everybody has to be a victim of something. And I take offense at that because there are lots of people who are victims of something or someone, who never get their due or the help they deserve because they’re not photogenic, media-friendly, Oprah-guest victims. So, I really feel for you, sir or ma’am, and for the hell that your loved one’s death no doubt put you through.
So…uh…do I honk now?… Read more
