Bumper Stickers Revisited

I saw a bumper sticker today that reminded me of an entry I’d written back in June. In the original note, I took issue with a sticker that read, “U CAN’T B BOTH CATHOLIC & PRO-CHOICE.” There was certainly some reader dissent with my conclusions, but I still stand by my original assessment.

Today, however, I saw one that read, “You Can’t Be Both Catholic and Pro-Abortion.” The same thing? Well, even aside from the fact that this sticker author chose to actually learn to spell, there is one serious difference. While before, I argued that the assertion of the first sticker was flawed (“pro-choice” most assuredly not being synonymous with “pro-abortion”), I believe this version makes much more sense. It’s a far more supportable argument: Since the Catholic church has determined that abortion is inconsistent with its teachings, it really isn’t possible to be both Catholic and pro-abortion. The two are logically incompatible (or at least it seems so to me). Do I think the person displaying the sticker would have cared to make the distinction? Probably not. But I’d be far more likely to give credence to the latter version.

Of course, I’m also seeing a slew of the old oval decals — and this time, with “W’04” printed on them. What was true before is doubly true now — pseudo-international oval decals are stupid to begin with, but you’re a double dumb-ass for displaying a pro-Duh-bya sticker.

In fact, I’d say the dumb-ass factor is multiplied about tenfold.