5 Bumperstickers
An interview project that offers glimpses of American culture and society, by asking people about bumperstickers.
5 Bumperstickers
Julie Rost - Community Cup Coffee
This episode explores the rich meanings behind bumper stickers as reflections of individual beliefs and cultural values. From personal stories of sobriety to the communal messages of cooking and love, we delve into how these tiny visual statements impact human connections and shared experiences on the road.
• Examines the significance of a 'sober' bumper sticker
• Discusses the open interpretation of "Inspired by Mystery"
• Unpacks the meaning behind "Love People, Cook Them Tasty Food"
• Explores the role of food as a cultural connector
• Highlights the impact of physical space on expression
• Reflects on how bumper stickers humanize the act of driving
• Compares positive messages like "Anything is Possible" against cautionary ones
• Analyzes the differing sticker cultures in Portland and Eugene
• Investigates themes of belonging within city versus community dynamics
• Encourages personal reflection on creating a unique bumper sticker message
https://www.communitycupcoffee.net/our-story
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Welcome to the Five Bumper Stickers, an interview project that offers glimpses of American culture and society by asking people about bumper stickers. Julie, do you have a bumper sticker in your car, or did you ever have one?
Speaker 2:I used to have one. I don't on this car. I used to on my old car. Okay, and it said sober.
Speaker 1:Oh, like sober, like driving sober, oh, okay.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:Is it something for you that you think it's important for everybody, for the community, or is it a specific anecdote or something that made you choose these members?
Speaker 2:Well, it's a little bit of all of it. I think, yeah, I've been sober 16 and a half years and but also I thought if the police see a sticker that says sober, they will pull me over that's great.
Speaker 1:You see how it's impressive, because they are all like this way of communication. That's what I find that they're very interesting because, so you know, this one in front actually wants to, wants to express something like so you want people around you to know that this is important for you and yeah in this case, very, very interesting, very interesting.
Speaker 1:So, for example, when I drive around Eugene, I find several, and one that I found is, for example, this one. I don't know if you've seen it or not, but it says inspired by mystery. What do you think and why do you think that somebody would put a sticker inspired by mystery?
Speaker 2:I think it's a piece of her car what I like about that is it's so open to interpretation. It means that they are willing to not be put in a box and, like you know, I think this way. This is my belief. It leaves it open to interpretation and it's also an offering of how are you inspired by mystery?
Speaker 1:so also like hey look, why don't you, why don't you look at things also like another way and not just how you are thinking that? You see what right at this moment I think so many times.
Speaker 2:Bumper stickers are offerings for us to look at things in a different way this, this exactly.
Speaker 1:It's what actually happened to me, you know, because, uh, I find them like so, like philosophical, even. No, yes, yes, like this one. For example, it says love people, cook them tasty food. And we are at this wonderful coffee shop, so I thought to share this one with you. What do you think this one is sweet? No, this one is like. It's just, it's a way of expressing that how to love somebody, or that cooking is very important, or because you, you, have a business that is related to this it's.
Speaker 1:It's about sharing your values it, you know, offering someone food is the basic, you know people have a basic right to you know.
Speaker 2:Are you sharing you know with others, the part about you know, cooking the food? If you think of food as a conversation, as it's not just food how are you nourishing people, how are you offering something to people? Food is often the easiest vehicle to share love and to share your values, to share what's important to you, to bring nostalgia to someone, to share your culture.
Speaker 1:It does nostalgia to someone to share your culture? It does it's such.
Speaker 2:It's the next. You know, the heart and the stomach are very close to each other.
Speaker 1:I mean, and look how interesting this one the bumper sticker said didn't say like love him or her, they said love people in general, cook them this because. So it is interesting that it's not focusing on like some bumper stickers are, like family, like a specific group yeah, fantastic, yeah, thank you. And also for you, not only sharing food, was it important, also the space where you started your business? Because I see that it's. Why didn't you choose another location? Is it important for you to be downtown or place location.
Speaker 2:Oh, um no, it was more important to have um a space with a lot of light, a lot of windows, um tall ceilings. Oh, so you can, you know, like air out your feelings. Oh, you know there's a lot of room in here, yeah. And it's not stagnant, it doesn't get stuck.
Speaker 1:Interesting and there's history also. What you were saying about sharing culture, this space also, I read there's a lot of history with this building where we are. That used to be a hotel. Yeah.
Speaker 2:Next year it turns 100.
Speaker 1:100 years.
Speaker 2:This next year.
Speaker 1:For being from Barcelona. But yeah, for the US it's a lot.
Speaker 2:No, no, great great so then, I get to share food that I make from my childhood oh, do you?
Speaker 1:oh, right, and and and food going back to that, to the bumper sticker. So cook them.
Speaker 2:Tasty food so you you went back to your childhood comfort food, you know banana muffins. Yeah, and you know, chocolate chip cookies and things that are nurturing and warming.
Speaker 1:And warming and fantastic, thank you. So, yeah, when I found this bumper sticker, I thought to share it with you. I thought to share it with you and I can see that there's a lot more than just the word like food. So, behind this tasty food, there is also a intention, intention, yes, fantastic. We keep on like driving around Eugene, so sometimes, like I, a I am lucky to find a red light. And this red light you know you have a car in front, car in front that it, and you just look around and then wow, wow, this bumper sticker shocks, like, shocks you, and says wow. There is another, another sentence here that I have to write down, like, for example I don't know, I have several, but this one says oh gosh, caution is, if I pronounce it right, that cushion driver is singing this one question.
Speaker 1:Every singing is like hey, I am not just driving around, no, I'm. I'm like being able to be myself and let me be myself.
Speaker 2:No yes, I want to sing um I.
Speaker 1:It's like uh, freedom and enjoy, enjoy, oh, enjoy your moment. Yeah, I do see these that, uh, the members, because sometimes the they try to tell you hey, I know you are stuck here, but they try to make you some ones, they try to make your moment better.
Speaker 2:Yes, Isn't that lovely we get so in our head when we're driving that sometimes we don't even remember driving from point A to point B. You know, you just get there. But, when we are presented with a pause, like a red light, we have the opportunity to reflect and get out of our head. Wow, interesting.
Speaker 1:And connect with others. That's what I see that the stickers try to do to say, hey, you know, it's not just a metal box with four wheels. There is somebody inside in front of you, you are surrounded by people. Do you humanize the streets? Do you say it like this?
Speaker 2:yes humanize the connection and the act that you're all doing, we're all driving because we have to but I'm still. I'm thinking about you.
Speaker 1:Wow, yeah, this is interesting because, coming more from a Mediterranean culture where you actually walk a lot more and you interact more with people and you even, like you know like there's more contact, even like physical contact or eye contact know like there's more contact, even like physical contact or eye contact. So this is interesting, that this, maybe this you think that this bumper stickers try to humanize that common space? No, yes, yeah yes fantastic. Well, sorry, I'm talking.
Speaker 2:No, you're good, this is exactly it.
Speaker 1:It's a conversation too, yeah, and then, oh, look at this one. I don't know you could also choose, but I have one that says anything is possible. What we were talking about Optimism, not being stuck in a one-hour traffic.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:And this one?
Speaker 2:what do you think that this one wants to express with anything is possible it's, it's, uh, it's just another reminder of you know, so many of our own problems are in our head and it's like, it's like a snippet. Bumper stickers are just like snippets of a conversation. They're they're like the very best part of a one-hour conversation. What do you take away from a conversation if, if I say you got this, you can do this. Put your paintings up, let's see what happens. Keep going, yeah, and after this whole conversation, you walk away with one thought anything is possible.
Speaker 1:Wow, so you, you think that they make a resume and then one line that condenses the whole conversation. Wow, so anything is possible.
Speaker 2:Yeah, fantastic I mean what a great, what a great takeaway from a conversation, how good that feels, where it's like if I share with you, like all these struggles I'm having, and it's like you know. And then you build me up like, oh my gosh. So you remind me of the accomplishments that I've had, you remind me of your own feelings, of what it feels like to be in the shop. And if I say, you know, I don't know if we're doing the right thing here, and you're like, oh, you're doing the right thing, this is amazing. You're hoping to be, and then you're like anything is possible and that's my takeaway.
Speaker 1:Oh great, because I wish all the bumper stickers that I found around were positive, because I also found some ones that really you see that they want to this person in front, this driver in front, really wants to. How do you say like make sure that he has his space, like don't tailgate, I have good brakes, or ones that they want to really make sure, like a little bit the opposite of empathy, you know, like say I'm here, be careful, have good brakes yeah. Yeah, I saw that one, so you think they can be yeah they're really it's like.
Speaker 2:their message is also that maybe the driver cannot vocalize because it's not polite. Ah, but if you read it, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1:They can cross the line of being polite with the bumper sticker, but they wouldn't be able to tell you exactly, exactly like no, interesting, did you see? Because you moved um with your husband, you moved, you moved from portland. Yeah, your memory important, I don't know. Maybe did you see see they had like different bumper stickers or something. It's more of a city like keep Portland weird.
Speaker 2:I was just going to say that one and they also have more bumper stickers for the places that they love oh, like the brewery, yes, that's interesting.
Speaker 1:Or REI that they love, yeah, that they love. Oh, like the brewery, yes, oh, yep, that's interesting.
Speaker 2:And or REI, or you know companies, you know.
Speaker 1:Yeah, oh, interesting. So you think, because of a city with more options, they want to make sure that?
Speaker 2:this place is good that they like it, that's right, and that you know they have ownership there I'm claiming this place oh, yeah, yeah, yeah I'm a part of this place.
Speaker 1:I'm a part of something oh, and because it's a big city, you need your tribe. So yeah, so the belong there's more need of. You think there is more need of belonging in the city than in.
Speaker 2:Eugene? Yes, because Eugene is just because of the size. It's more intimate.
Speaker 1:It's one so you're like okay, so it's already like you might, it's like everybody loves the.
Speaker 2:Y. Everybody loves the library.
Speaker 1:You know what I say.
Speaker 2:But in Portland it will say one specific library interesting.
Speaker 1:This is my library.
Speaker 2:This is my children's school.
Speaker 1:I think it would be very interesting to see how now I'm starting just in Eugene but to see how, through other locations like the, how they change, how the sentences change, because if you go to Utah in the, the middle, or in the or somewhere in the middle of no, nowhere, you might find other bumper stickers oh yeah, you could see that, even the political visions, or absolutely absolutely yeah and the vision of the collective.
Speaker 2:The collective you know like the vision of so, say, you go to Oklahoma, most of them are going to be like like you know, like I don't want to share, or you know I don't share the road. Don't get too close.
Speaker 1:You know what I'm saying. Oh, you've been in Oklahoma. Oh, yeah, that's where Mark is from. I don't know where he's from. Yeah, and so it's the whole collective is very like.
Speaker 2:I'm gonna get mine me me, me we're here, we're just like oh yeah, we share everything.
Speaker 1:Well, very, very interesting. Thank you so much for that's really interesting to see how, from one sentence, we can go to Oklahoma, for example. This one was very interesting because when I came from Barcelona, I saw a sticker that says Dutch mom and I said, wow, so there is actually a group from Holland that these moms that they meet and it's all in books like wow.
Speaker 2:I love it, but anyway yeah, you realize it's Dutch brothers. I found out that it's two Dutch brothers, yeah anyway, just a running quote.
Speaker 1:I love that it was like that's yeah, that it tells you how. So do you think that they, they the stickers also? Uh, can be in the interpretation of the stickers, depending on who's looking, will read one thing or another thing oh, absolutely, absolutely.
Speaker 2:Even if you have a car with four people in it, each one will have a different interpretation of what that sticker means. You know one. You see, a lot is coexist.
Speaker 1:The coexist. Yes, I had it With all those symbols Coexist and each one has a different like. Or the Jewish, the Jewish star.
Speaker 2:Yes, the Christian, yes, yes. And so each person in the four car, in the four in the car, will come up with a different interpretation of what that they're trying to say.
Speaker 1:So, for example, one will say, well, yes, it's good to accept all cultures, and the other one would say, oh well, they did put mine, but why does it have to be next to the other one?
Speaker 2:Yeah and like why did they? Why did it start with this symbol? And you know, yeah, I mean, yeah, they're really going to. Or like, or even question how do we coexist?
Speaker 1:What does that really mean?
Speaker 2:Yeah, you can coexist when you get along with someone. You try coexisting with someone that has a completely different point of view so much harder has a completely different point of view.
Speaker 1:so much harder. But that's the. Isn't this the, the art of well, of living together, but to be able to humanize the soul? That's like the only solution. No, that's the art of being to live with differences, but that also takes.
Speaker 2:It takes curiosity being curious how they why do they think that way? I want to be curious. And but if you were traumatized by that group that they represent, you won't be curious, Because you will only remember pain and fear. So it's really.
Speaker 1:You'll be able to take it out of the box a little bit. Exactly, exactly. Yeah, well, it's good to see that some of the drivers want to put a bumper sticker to kind of make a better society. No, yes.
Speaker 2:Yes, I think most of the bumper stickers are more positive than not.
Speaker 1:Okay, perfect, fantastic, yeah, if we keep on driving, for example. Well, there is an interesting one, well, we were just talking about this. For example, it says remember your humanity. Do you think it goes linked to the coexist?
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:Okay, yes.
Speaker 2:And humanity is not putting one person above another. It's very, it's very humble.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Every person that you meet has something that you don't know. You know they could tell you something. It doesn't matter how poor they are, how wealthy they are. Every stranger knows something that you don't know.
Speaker 1:So this one is.
Speaker 2:And that's really about remember the humanity, remember that everybody yeah, everybody's on the same bus.
Speaker 1:So like on the same bus, look on the same, even if it was different cars, yeah, all together. Yeah, yeah, I think. I think. Do you think that this one Remember your Humanity a little bit is also like hey, maybe you're having a bad day, we are here stuck in traffic, but hey, just please be patient because I'm more maybe. I'm maybe I'm.
Speaker 2:I think the word that's interesting here is your.
Speaker 1:Your Uh-huh. What if?
Speaker 2:it just said remember humanity.
Speaker 1:In general yeah.
Speaker 2:But it's remember your humanity.
Speaker 1:That's because they know that you are looking at their car. He or she knows, or they know that. So you think because bumper stickers allow. Do you think that bumper stickers allow to go directly to one person?
Speaker 2:Yes, they're holding you accountable.
Speaker 1:Holding you accountable.
Speaker 2:You take responsibility for you and your humanity. Not just remember humanity, but it's your part that's telling you do your part, you do your job and I'll do mine.
Speaker 1:Yeah, fantastic. Yeah, they do allow you to be one moment like thinking about one concept. No, yes, like you know, yeah. Alright, I mean, well, we could just drive around, keep going. If we take a ride here, we find one. For example, it says in our America, love winshmm, this our again yes so, yes, yes, she won it like.
Speaker 2:So much of that same thing is like what does your America look like? Because everybody, you know, we want to say you know, we're bigger than this. We're bigger than hate. We're bigger than being mean. We're bigger than hate. We're bigger than being mean. We're bigger than taking the low road.
Speaker 1:And the number one yeah, yes, we're bigger than our ego.
Speaker 2:And our it's all inclusive. We want to be all inclusive. Everyone is welcome.
Speaker 1:So it's not so you think, yeah, it's not just you think, yeah, it's not just uh. One point of view. This one sticker was trying to express that uh, come on like, uh, take it easy, because we are all together in this yes, and it's like yeah and you know um, you know the.
Speaker 2:Have you ever read the same at the bottom of the statue of liberty?
Speaker 1:um, there's there's a poem. I did go there, but yeah, there's a poem, I did go there, but yeah.
Speaker 2:There's a poem at the bottom and it just says give me your tired, your poor, your yearning to be free. You know, basically it's saying this In our America, love wins. This you arrived, and the Statue of Liberty kind of represents the mother that's just taking in all the children that didn't feel like they belonged anywhere else, with so much love fantastic.
Speaker 1:so look at, with this bumper stickers you can even go east to anywhere, if you expand it so what does that mean for Eugene?
Speaker 2:I mean it could say in our Eugene, In our Eugene luck wins.
Speaker 1:Okay, so in this case you think that people put it like that would be a good question to see. Also, if somebody moves somewhere else, will he or she, will they change their sticker from behind?
Speaker 2:Yeah, or they want to say this is who I am.
Speaker 1:I'm not changed. Am I welcome here? Yeah, okay.
Speaker 2:Yeah, these are my values. I take wisdom.
Speaker 1:If you had to design yourself like a bumper sticker? I know that you said you already had one a long time ago. Oh, yeah, yeah. But if now, now, because this one was long time ago, I always end up and the and I always finish the the conversation with, like asking if there was a bumper sticker or something, or a sentence that that you would like, that you that would define you, or or this moment that you would like to put behind your car, which, which one or what bumper sticker would you have behind your car? Julie?
Speaker 2:have behind your car. Julie, I would write one, I would make one that says plant the seeds today for what you want to see grow in the future.
Speaker 1:Tomorrow. Wow, fantastic, well, thank you. Thank you very much. You're very welcome, Really very interesting. And how do you say like flowing, flowing conversation? Yes, Is that a word for that? Yeah, and yeah, I'll really see you again here at this wonderful coffee shop.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much. Thank you, that was awesome.
Speaker 1:Inspired by mystery Love people. Cook them tasty food. Caution, dry them tasty food. Couching driver is singing Remember your humanity. In our America, love wins.
Speaker 2:Love wins.
