Bumper stickersIn a world where almost all outdoor lovers drive small, foreign-made SUVs with roof racks, stickers are the way many choose to set their rides apart. And to help find their car in the 2 North Shore parking lot.
MINOR TRIBES
The Trendy KillerDistinguishing marks: Anything with antlers, a skull or bonesDeer antler stickers made to match the color of the truck (and it’s always a truck), give the impression that the driver not only is a hunter, but has a sense of style. Driver may or may not actually use the high-end brand advertised by the sticker.The Enthusiastic DrinkerDistinguishing marks: Sweetwater, Highland Brewing, Yazoo, Dogfish Head or some other craft beerThese stickers show the tribe member’s enthusiasm and appreciation for refined, unique beer. Isn’t this a conversation starter for anyone with a breathalyzer and blue lights?The HecklerDistinguishing marks: “Honk if you hate noise pollution” “0.0 mi” “No one cares about your stick family”Get ready to get a little meta. Stickers that refer to and play off of other stickers show just how far the sticker tribe culture has come. It’s like sharing an inside joke with everyone else who drives a car.The MinimalistDistinguishing marks: Anything as long as its only oneMembers of this tribe have a single sticker on the hatch, glass or bumper. It leads others to wonder if A) they want to draw attention to a single important sticker, B) they are just starting a collection and are on their way to another tribe or C) they stuck their first sticker and regretted it, but can’t peel it off.The Probably-Not-From-‘Round-HereDistinguishing marks: Colorado flag, Steamboat Springs, RMNP, Breckenridge, VailThe license plate may say Hamilton County, but the stickers say they aren’t locals. At least they didn’t include an insult like “I’d rather be in Colorado.”
Just like a fresh and crisp backpack or a pair of dirty, worn boots gives you an impression of the wearer, the stickers on the back of a car can tell a lot about the driver. Edmund King, the former executive director of Britain’s Royal Automobile Club Foundation for Motoring has been quoted as saying he thinks stickers are very revealing.
“The car sticker is a badge of belonging,” King is said to have explained. “It clearly distinguishes the tribe with which its owner identifies. Drivers who personalize their cars with stickers are giving away much more about their character than they think.” If that’s the case, Chattanooga has some pretty distinct tribes. Here’s a regrettably unscientific look at the fellow outdoor sticker collectors you’ve probably seen around town.
ESCAPIST
The complete opposite of the live-in-the-moment YOLO crowd, this tribe lets passersby know they wish they were elsewhere. No matter where they are or what they’re doing, their car says “I’d rather be fishing.” Or snowboarding. Or camping. Or sailing. A Google search for “Sticker: I’d rather be” reveals more than 30 outdoor stickers for sale-from noodling to diving with sharks to metal detecting. How does it feel to be a friend or family member hosting this tribe?