Like many people stuck in traffic at a red light I look around at other cars and, very often, smile at the stickers and messages people put on display.  College affiliation … favorite sports team … cute sayings intended to evoke a chuckle … political candidates favored by the vehicle owner.

Recently, though, I found myself stopped behind a car exhibiting multiple messages that startled me, and which made we wonder … what on earth is this guy thinking?  What would cause someone to put this sort of display so clearly in the public eye?  Does this person have children?  Have they seen what the rest of us are forced to see when stopped behind him?

Here is what I am talking about:

The first image was an oversized sticker with the wording: “F*** Joe and the Hoe” (I have obscured the obvious profanity).  “Joe,” in this case was, of course, Joe Biden and, doubtless, the “Hoe” was Kamala Harris.

The second emblem was a large “Punisher” decal in red, white and blue.  The “Punisher” logo, to some, suggests resistance to “unjust” laws, and is favored by a variety of terrorist and anti-government groups.

The third symbol on this car was that of the Ichthys (a fish logo containing a crucifix) which is a common symbol of Christianity.  Yes, like you, I wondered at the inclusion of this image in partnership with the other two.

As I sat there trying to decipher the meaning of this fellow’s collection, I had a brief “Grey Poupon” moment during which I considered pulling up next to him and asking him to roll down his window so we could discuss his views.  Unlike the old TV commercial, though, I have a feeling that instead  of a dash of lunchtime condiment, I would have been presented with (at the very least) a stout middle finger.

In a recent Wall Street Journal (WSJ) column titled We Are Starting To Enjoy Hatred, Peggy Noonan described the extreme political polarization she sees in this country, lamenting the fact that so many seem to relish and even celebrate the harsh, outrageous and dehumanizing things being shared online and elsewhere.  At the very least, Noonan suggests, we must remember that those we demean are our fellow countrymen and that we are obliged to go into the future together.

Similarly, in a recent WSJ op-ed piece, political commentator and comedian, Bill Maher, described the political divide in this country even more starkly, suggesting that there are places in this country where citizens, based solely on political beliefs, would not be welcome.  He wonders, for example, whether someone could comfortably ride the New York City subway wearing a MAGA hat, or go to a NASCAR race in a Biden T-shirt.

It is worth noting that Noonan and Maher represent polar opposite ends of the political spectrum.  That being so, when they each see a dangerous divide between the left and right in this country, the rest of us should pay attention.

Near the end of the movie The American President, actor Michael Douglas (playing the part of President Andrew Shepherd) unleashes a powerful challenge to his political opponent declaring: “We have serious problems to solve, and we need serious people to solve them.”  

There is always a debate about how closely fiction mirrors reality but, in present-day politics, Shepherd’s warning about the types of people we choose to follow and emulate rings especially true.

As for the motorist with the coarse and offensive display of messages on his rear window for all the world to see, perhaps it all comes down to simple  thoughtlessness on his part.  But as American conservationist and author Thornton Burgess once pointed out;

That’s the trouble with thoughtlessness; it never remembers other people.