Bumper Sticker Logic

I call it Bumper Sticker Logic (or BSL – in case you were wishing we had more acronyms), and the actual examples are Bumper Sticker Bites. I think I made the term up, all by myself, but I wouldn’t be surprised if someone else has too.  Though of course I will deny it and slander anyone who disagrees with me.

It’s everywhere. And it’s so human. Not just on bumper stickers. Politicians love to use bumper sticker logic in sound bites. Yes sound bites, also called a grab, or a clip, or maybe a “take away” on a PowerPoint slide. And now we can add, “bumper sticker bites”! Politicians and reporters love them. There can also be “old sayings”, proverbs, one-liners, quotes, and so on…

The key is how it’s used.

They can be helpful, illuminating, insightful, or simply a little foolish but still harmless – except when certain politicians use them.  Certainly they can be a useful part of communication. Every good speaker knows you have to leave them with a good grab – or two. They have always been with us and always will be.  We all know (don’t we?) that they often have some truth in them, but are almost never always right for every situation.  I can only think of one saying that I think is universally true, good, and all encompassing, yet I’ve never seen it on a bumper sticker (I’ll tell you what that one is, in a later entry).

But bumper sticker logic can also be misleading and harmful. It is our responsibility to not be overly impressed or fooled by BSL and those that use it to influence us.

People are using it to manipulate some of you. Don’t let them do it anymore.

Let’s teach ourselves to recognize, evaluate, and question, all forms of bumper sticker logic. It’s a fundamental first step to learning to think for yourself. Politicians and marketeers will never stop trying to bamboozle us.  But if just a few more of us stop being gullible fundamentalists, we’ll un-elect those guys.

So lets have some educational fun with BSL and the sound bites and grabbers we hear it in. Then let’s work out ways to spread the word, I mean, the logic.

Let’s start thinking. Don’t be afraid. It’s fun!