Sticker Shock

In the 1980s, signs hung from car windows:  “Baby on Board.”  (Not that it mattered; parents still drove as if they were racing to a hospital to give birth.)

The ’90s saw bumper stickers, proclaiming everything from political allegiances to children’s scholastic achievements.  (And the answer:  “My kid beat up your honor roll student.”)

These days, the favored vehicular message is an oval decal with letters.  They started in Europe, for a reason:  to show where your car was registered.  F meant France; GB, Great Britain; D — Germany (Deutschland, dummkopf! Denmark is DK.)

The decals migrated to the United States, and the ante was upped.  Folks slapped on “MV” stickers to show they’d been to Martha’s Vineyard — so there!

Then came “ACK.”  You had to be hipper to figure that out (it’s the airport code for Nantucket).

Soon we saw decals from further afield:   “OBX” (Outer Banks).  “SI” (Sanibel Island).  “JH” (Jackson Hole).

It became a subtle game of one-upsmanship.  If you asked what the sticker stood for, you lost.

But in 2009, Westporters are staying closer to home.  Let’s hope we’re proud of our staycations.

And what better way to show our pride than with a car sticker or two?

Let’s hear it for “CB”!

What? You’ve never heard of Compo Beach?!