You are more likely to see a person with a tattoo on their body than a bumper sticker on their car.
Next time you are on the road, see for yourself.
I had a meeting in Jersey City this weekend, which meant I was driving back and forth through the Holland Tunnel en route to the hotel. To distract myself from how tightly the cars were packed in the tunnel — and the unspoken reality that we were frickin’ underwater for a really long time — I was looking at the surrounding vehicles closely to occupy my slightly claustrophobic mind.
Of all the cars, trucks, vans and motorcycles that passed my cab during our putt-putt-putt progression, I only saw one bumper sticker in the bunch….and that one was so old, I couldn’t make out the words. All the other vehicles had naked bumpers — not a sticker in the bunch.
But I did spy — when we loitered close enough — a driver or two who had visible tattoos! And you know there were bound to be some tats that fell below the ‘window line.’
A 2006 study by the Pew Research Center said 36 percent of 18-25 year olds have a tattoo, and that number climbs to 40 percent of 26-40 year olds. And those percentages tend to rise during times of recession, which makes me think many an inked arm, leg or backside was in the tunnel with me as I crossed the New Jersey/New York state line.
So, if a person can make the leap to permanently decorate their body parts, why leave their car unscathed?
Perhaps it’s just a question of autonomy.
(Sorry…I couldn’t resist.)
