In Malcolm Gladwell’s The Tipping Point, he says “The world does not accord with our intuition.” His point is that human behavior and communication are generally counterintuitive. My first thought as an entrepreneur who works with lots of entrepreneurs is “Yeah. So many seemingly great ideas get no love while ridiculous things go big.” Basically, we as humans do stupid things for absolutely no good reason and we do them willingly and loyally. It’s kind of a sad and scary commentary on human behavior. Unfortunately, there is incriminating evidence all around us. Allow me to present Exhibit A: The Car Ribbon Magnet.
I don’t want to come off overly harsh. These things are harmless enough and can often deal with sensitive subject matters, but I am stunned and amazed by the entire epidemic. How did this occur? Let’s look at the original bumper sticker. For better or worse, the bumper sticker is an classic part of of our social fabric. They may be tacky (visually, as well as hard to get off), but they are usually a geometric shape that sensibly accommodates their various messages.
In an event as tragic as it is inexplicable, someone recently decided that any possible message is best said on a ribbon magnet on the back of an automobile. Since that time, a vast number of good hearted folks have complied with zeal in both creating and exhibiting a tremendous variety of offensive looking ribbons.
Somewhere in there lies the key to flash-in-the-pan business prosperity. I guess the good news is they’ll be passé before you can add the “Death To Car Ribbon Magnets!” ribbon magnet to your car. The ultimate lesson here: Gosh. I don’t know. Anything’s possible.
Here are a few samples. A quick Google search returned plenty more, believe me:
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