UKC

Not so long ago, protest stickers e.g. anti-nuclear/ save the whale/ free Nelson Mandela/ end apartheid were relatively common. The issues may have changed, but I don't notice protest stickers as much on UK vehicles nowadays.

Is it perhaps because dissent is now better expressed via a Facebook 'share'?
Strangely, in the US, home of social media, bumper stickers still persist.
So maybe here, we're just generally more apathetic...or is it something else?

In reply to llechwedd:

A Facebook 'share' protest wouldn't have much chance of influencing me.

In reply to llechwedd:

I personally don't consider my cars rear window the best forum to air my political/social views.

It is not important to me that I should inform those travelling behind me of my opinion.

Facebook is an even worse place to display your credentials!

In reply to john arran:


That's what I thought. Self referencing Facebook groups vs the daring personal act of stickering your own vehicle. Because most of the readers of your sticker are also in their moving vehicles, you don't even have to face the ordeal of a debate once you've nailed your colours to the mast .

In reply to Stevie989:


Fair enough. The recent spate of pre election interviews when members of the public expressed their apathy with Westminster got me thinking 'is it really just that the parties don't represent their views, or perhaps, more cynically, do many people not feel strongly about anything, as long as their needs are met?'

In reply to llechwedd:

In todays age - The second I fear.

In reply to llechwedd:

My car stickers are positive - Stanage, National Trust and Yorkshire/TDF

In reply to llechwedd:

The British public are just more apathetic (could easily take the a off that). Too interested in protecting their own sad little lives than trying to improve anything.

Thatcher did a good job (from her point of view).

In reply to llechwedd:

I've got two notices on mine: 'On Tow' and 'Please Push'.

In reply to Skip:

Apathy is our greatest asset.

Some nutter starts banging on about gassing Jews and driving tanks across Europe and the Germans embrace it as the best thing since sliced bratwurst. We sort of looked embarrassed at our own equivalent and largely ignored him.

Be careful what you wish for.

In reply to llechwedd:


Cant find it right now but from memory various campaigning organisations are doing quite well. So think it may be more the former.

In reply to llechwedd:
Don't know if they count but there are still plenty of "Yes" stickers on car windows up here after the referendum. Don't see as many "No" ones.

In reply to Chris the Tall:


Yes, you see a fair few of those sort of window stickers , so it doesn't seem as if the dearth of protest stickers is because folk don't like stickers per se.

'Princess in board', 'Help for Heroes', 'National Trust'- all very hmmm..

I think there's there's a societal pressure nowadays - a kind of thoughtless optimism, which makes arguably justified criticism unsettling for many people.

In reply to Ridge:



and yet the British people, government and media tend to look the other way when some Israeli Jews ( zionists) visit death, destruction and apartheid on the Palestinian people on an ongoing basis. The Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement (BDS) could bring non -violent pressure on the actions of Israel a lot quicker if the majority of the British population were less apathetic.

In reply to llechwedd:

All my stickers are on my other car, which is a Porsche.

In reply to DerwentDiluted:


At one time I wanted a 'We have seen the Lions of Longleat' sticker - to put on the fairing screen of my Ducati.

In reply to eltankos:


I saw one recently saying 'Don't blame me I voted YES'.

In reply to john arran:


Would a bumper sticker?

In reply to llechwedd:


There was a very successful car sticker protest about them

In reply to llechwedd:
You do still occasionally still see the Jesus fish kicking about.

And now and again the Darwin fish.

In reply to llechwedd:

Depends what the issue is.....in most of Scotland a No sticker is an invitation for anyone to kick you car in. I am not sure that makes protesting by car sticker worthwhile.

In reply to nickinscottishmountains:

in most of Scotland a No sticker is an invitation for anyone to kick you car in. I am not sure that makes protesting by car sticker worthwhile.

Scotland appears to be a very confused country.
You vote 'No' to independence, but daren't say/display it through fear of some sort of retribution and then come the election you all vote SNP!

In reply to nickinscottishmountains:

You must live in a a different Scotland to me.

In reply to aln:


Well at least I'd have some chance of actually seeing it.

In reply to nickinscottishmountains:


Is the feeling that protest is not worthwhile, that it might induce anxiety, just another facet of a society that is prepared to make fewer and fewer moral judgements, for fear of upsetting social norms? It's not just that you might fear reprisals for identifying with the perceived out- group, but that larger society doesn't facilitate opinion forming in the open arena either.

Nowadays, theoretically,everyone, even the bigoted, stupid, and ignorant, have opinions of equal value ( at least that's what I'm told in workplace mandatory training). So, the cliche goes, we are less quick to judge. But, even for issues which fall outside the remit of anti-discrimination laws, we seem less willing to form any opinion at all that leads to action. Blandness to avoid offence.

Unless an issue has first been processed by mainstream media into a humanitarian crisis or bad thing of pantomime villain proportions, it's business as usual

In reply to llechwedd:

I saw a Deadhead sticker on a Cadillac.

In reply to aln:


Sounds like you're looking back...

In reply to llechwedd:

That was quick.

In reply to Stevie989:



Yep, I've got a nice little fish shape with limbs. It's holding a spanner. Inside the fish shape it says 'Evolve'. I make a point of overtaking those with christian fish on their boots then slowing down! Oh, and there's an anarchism symbol on my petrol flap!

In reply to llechwedd:

Maybe its a fashion thing ? did car stickers ever do any good other than to cover up rust holes in Ford Escorts ?

In reply to Skip:



You what ? Thatcher managed to fundamentally change human nature and it wasn't like that before ? she was obviously more influential than I realised.

In reply to eltankos:

They will be being dusted down now , I expect. The yes ones never went away.

In reply to llechwedd:
I've a protest sticker in my rear window.
It states 'just married'

In reply to llechwedd:

If your car needs to be scrapped and crushed, try putting "closet tory" in the back window.

In reply to AllanMac:


I've also got , 'frack off', and a badgers head with 'not guilty' below it.

In reply to llechwedd:

My 5 year old MADE me put "my family" stickers on our T5.........

In reply to eltankos:


Probably for the same reason you don't see many Free Nelson Mandela stickers.

In reply to llechwedd:

Maybe all the problems have been solved,either that or the people causing the problems bought all the sticker factories to make us think all the problems have been solved !!!