All summer long I’ve been dropping the boy off at day care on Mondays through Thursdays so that I can have the house to myself to write. On Fridays he stays home with me and we do daddy and son stuff, mostly going to the zoo and watching lots of cartoons, because I am a shitty parent. About three out of every four days that I drop him off there’s another parent dropping her kids off at the same time. She has the following bumper stickers on her car. Forgive the yellow one; I had to stealth the picture and plus it’s really faded so it’s gonna be hard to read no matter what:
This reads “STROKE RESULTS IN CEREBRAL PALSY: I HAVE CP.”
This one’s readable, obviously.
Can someone help me put myself in this person’s head enough to understand what the hell the deal is with these two bumper stickers? Generally, bumper stickers fall into a couple of different categories, as far as I can tell, and sometimes more than one depending on the sticker. They are:
- Humor
- Awareness/Advertising
- Advocacy
- Deliberately Pissing People Off
Note that frequently “Advocacy” and “Deliberately Pissing People Off” are understood to be one and the same category. I can’t tell what these are supposed to be for. There’s something weirdly confrontational and aggressive about them, magnified by the fact that they’re both on the car. I don’t need to know that this lady has cerebral palsy; that’s private medical information and none of my goddamn business. There’s no real “find a cure!” vibe here. And you could maybe make an awareness case, because at least I got home and looked up what “left hemiplegia” meant, but now that I’ve done that I’m pretty sure that the person who owns this car shouldn’t be driving. None of the signs of left hemiplegia listed on that website make me think that people exhibiting those symptoms should be piloting nearly two tons of vehicle (the stickers are on an SUV).
So… what’s going on here? What’s the endgame of these bumper stickers? If it was going for a “people with CP can do whatever they want” vibe, I’d be good with that, I suppose, but that doesn’t seem quite right. The left hemiplegia thing almost scans “AVOID ME ON THE ROAD,” which I guess is a public service announcement of sorts, but why the hell would you want people to know that about you?
Why the hell would you want anyone to know either of those things about you, in fact? Cerebral Palsy isn’t AIDS or something; there’s no societal shaming aspect to it that I’m aware of– and it’s a common enough condition that mere awareness (“We’re here! We have CP! We have the same life expectancy you do!”) doesn’t seem likely to be the goal. And, like I said, the presence of both bumper stickers scans as weirdly hostile and aggressive.
Which, by the way, is the reason I haven’t just asked her. I’m wary about sticking my hand into crazy on this one, which is why I’d rather ask the Internet; I feel like engaging this person might end up being a poor decision.
So: suggestions? I’m clearly missing something here; fill me in, if you can.
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Honestly don’t know where to go with this one. My reactions are the same as yours. As I was reading I was thinking A. She shouldn’t be driving and B. Avoid the crazy. People with disabilities have my full sympathy and in many cases my undying admiration, but these bumper stickers are just strange.
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Is there a handicapped sticker on the vehicle? Also, does the driver appear to have an symptoms of stroke or hemiplegia? They might be a caregiver for someone who has.
The bumper stickers strike me as an Awareness campaign. While there isn’t a “cure,” people often look askance or stare or avoid cp’s and other such when they encounter them in public because the condition makes them feel uncomfortable. Severe cases are often treated/avoided as mentally disabled by the ignorant.
If you’re worried about “the crazy,” I suspect she’s probably closer to exhausted if she’s a caregiver.
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There’s no handicapped icon on the license plate, and nothing dangling from the rear-view mirror, although Indiana law allows portable ones that you just hang up when you’re parked, so it could just be in the glove box or something. The driver has no obvious disabilities.
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Also, I’m almost certain I’ve heard the kids call her “mommy,” so while the caregiver hypothesis isn’t shot down, it seems most likely that the driver is the owner.
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I think “caregiver” in this context probably would most likely BE a family member. You haven’t mentioned seeing dad/partner/other adult – perhaps another adult in the home is the person referenced by the stickers.
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Fair point. I was thinking like a live-in nurse or a nanny.
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I think they’re actually pediatric stroke awareness stickers, so it’s not the driver, it’s probably his or her kids who are affected.
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Why would they say “I”, though?
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Um…the font choice wouldn’t fit “My child has..”? The child bought the sticker. Oo, or! The child designed the custom sticker at zazzle or cafepress!
I don’t know, but now you have to go ask her, “Excuse me, what do your bumper stickers mean?” You know, for us. Because now I want to know too.
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Maybe the child/person with the condition bought it for the family vehicle. Sometimes I’ve seen folks with wheelchairs decorate their chairs with bumper stickers. There are a number of possibilities to the caregiver hypothesis. I’ll bet “Mom” won’t mind if you ask respectfully. If she’s got the stickers on the car, then the questions kinda come with the territory. It’s a CP sticker, not a “free candy” sticker, so the level of crazy response should be limited.
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These stickers remind me of medical alert bracelets, for emergency personnel… but I really don’t know.
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I was thinking the exact same thing – the medic alert idea. Or cops – I’m not drunk, I have this condition?
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My initial reaction is, of course, a jaded one. “Don’t honk at me for driving like an inconsiderate jerk, I have issues and you don’t.” BUT, I suppose all of those compassionate people that commented above might have the right idea. She’s probably a caregiver, BUT. BUT! If the person who owns the car doesn’t drive it (as they probably shouldn’t) then WHY have the stickers on it? And, I’m back at my syndical initial reaction…
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I wouldn’t know what to make of these, either. I also would be hesitant to ask, for the same reason you are — which, incidentally, made me laugh due to the comical way you put it: “I’m wary about sticking my hand into crazy on this one.” It’s interesting reading some of the comments here for some additional views on this, but still not sure myself…wish I knew, though!
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Wuss! Just pony up to the bar and ask her.
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Cerebral Palsy is not a disease. It’s a condition.
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Updated, thanks.
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Seinfeld episode!
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Luther, a pleasure to meet you, a real pleasure.
My best to you
john
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i may be a little late to respond to this however ….. not everyone with left sided hemipleiga are totally disabled…. it can be different things effected….if its just physical there are ways they can drive without endangering anyone. Being the mom to someone who is left sided hemiplegic who will probably never drive due to other things like epilepsy, i know there are stickers like this to make people aware of this difference. I see people on a daily basis that have CP that function “normally” just as you do. Maybe you should get the whole story before spouting off at something you know nothing about except looking it up on the internet where you dont always get the whole story
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glad you think something that no one has any control over is funny….. my question to you is whats wrong with you….. other than you dont bother taking the time to get to know people who are different from yourself! You should spend time with people that have CP they are not dangerous.
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