Saw a 'coexist' bumper sticker next to a truck nut hitch and lost it

Last Tuesday on I-35 near Austin I saw this beat-up Ford F-150 with a huge 'COEXIST' sticker on the left side and those plastic truck nut things hanging off the hitch on the right. Same bumper also had a 'Don't Tread On Me' plate frame. I been thinking about it all week. Is that just someone messing with everyone or is it actually possible to hold both those views at once? Anyone else see combos that make zero sense but also kinda do?

2 comments

2 Comments

mark36119d ago

Drove past a similar rig in San Antonio last year, an old Dodge with a Gadsden flag decal right above a faded "Love Wins" sticker, and I laughed about it too. But then I got to talking with the guy at a gas station, total friendly dude, and he explained he just likes the history of the flag and genuinely thinks everyone should get along. Honestly that shifted how I see these combos, most people arent trying to be clever or ironic, they just slap on stickers that mean something to them at different times. It doesnt always have to be a logical argument, sometimes its just a messy mix of what a person cares about. Now when I see stuff like that I just assume theres a story, not a contradiction.

miles_sanchez19d ago

@mark361 that gas station story hit close to home for me. I used to roll my eyes at bumper sticker mashups too, but last year I ended up chatting with a trucker at a rest stop who had a punisher skull next to a "coexist" sticker, and he turned out to be the chillest guy, just loved action movies and peace signs from his college days. Now I figure most people are just collecting pieces of who they were, not trying to win a debate on their tailgate. Its made me way less judgey about folks I dont know, and way more curious about the actual human behind the windshield. Plus its way more fun to ask about a weird sticker combo than to assume its some deep political statement.