Sitting in your car waiting to get out of the parking lot at the end of the day, you can’t help noticing that the car in front of you has multiple bumper stickers plastered to the back of it. Fasci­nated, you read every single one, getting to know a lot about who the person in that car is.

“Bumper stickers allow the owner of the car to express themselves,” junior Tyler Ludwig, owner of two bumper stickers, said.

Obama-Biden and Foo Fighters stickers stick proudly on the bumper of Ludwig’s car, he likes to call the “Tylermobile.” As a member of the Young Democrats club, Ludwig feels very strongly about Obama being the right candidate for the presiden­cy, and wants to voice that opinion to the world around him. He chose to stick on a Foo Fighters sticker simply because they are his favorite band.

“My car isn’t all that fancy, so I decided I may as well personalize it,” Ludwig said.

English teacher Laura Kayser also likes to express herself through her bumper stickers. She bought a new car with a flat back and decided it needed some stickers, so she started collecting. Four of her six stickers support her favorite bands, STS9, the Avett Brothers, Phish and the Yonder Mt. String Band. A “live the life you love” and “city” sticker also decorate her car’s flat back.

“They communicate that I love music, and I’m really proud of St. Louis,” Kayser said. “A lot of people in St. Charles have negative feelings about the city and think it’s scary, but I think it’s a great city and I love it.”

Some people love bumper stickers, but others don’t care for them quite as much. Some students aren’t allowed to have a bumper sticker on their car, such as junior Brandon Chac whose father told him they were “foolish.” Others find stickers dan­gerous because when drivers look at the stickers they don’t pay attention to the road.

“I get dangerously close to cars in front of me on the highway so I can read their bumper stick­ers,” Ludwig said.

Whether stating strong political views or mak­ing a joke, many believe stickers make a statement. Even stickers like junior Brandon Rosner’s favor­ite which reads, “the reason I am speeding is be­cause I have to poop,” provide insight into the car owner’s personality. Ultimately, bumper stickers are just another way American’s practice the right to freedom of speech, regardless of if others appre­ciate their message or not.

“Negative messages bum me out,” Kayser said, “but everyone has the right to express that message in our country, and I would never make them take [the sticker] off.