It seems that everyone has death on the mind lately, what with Peter Jennings and... okay, maybe just Peter Jennings. And he's only really on the mind of Barbara Walters and Larry "Live" King, since he was younger than either of them. Anyway, this annoying radio program --that I am sometimes forced to listen to because I do not yet have an iPod adapter suitable for my new car and because I threw out most of my tapes long ago--was interviewing people about the new trends in burial, such as home body preparation and funerals and multimedia memorials meant to last forever. They did not talk about the hip mourning practices gaining popularity in my neck of the woods. The first is the memorial car sticker, telling everyone on the freeway who died and how old they were. It's like a tombstone, only made of metal and with better mileage. Although a little odd, I can sort of grasp the concept on this one. The other, newer up-and-coming funeral rite for the aggrieved is the memorial car wash. That's right. I am no longer made to feel guilty for not having my car washed by band students every weekend, now I feel like I am desecrating someone's memory when I drive around in my dusty jalopy. Dust to dust to soapy rag? Tears are good for the paint job? I am less clear on the concept for this one, but when I die, I expect my loved ones to offer interior vacuuming and paint detailing services, plus free mountain breeze scented spray for the first 200 customers in my memory.
Posted by waltondammerung at August 8, 2005 9:56 PMWhat is going on out there in California?!? I guess the memorial bumper sticker makes some sense (especially if you get pulled over, you might get some extra sympathy), but the carwash is just absurd and strange. And what if they washed off the bumper sticker? That would be the worst. Or perhaps they would simply cancel each other out?
Posted by: Lucas at August 10, 2005 8:16 AMI have seen this in the midwest on pickup trucks as well, but they are more as decals on the back windows. I always thought that it was due to an auto accident, hence being memorialized on an auto seems appropriate. Odd, nonetheless.
Posted by: Sarah at August 11, 2005 3:16 PM