Do You Hear the People Sing? Sing a Song about Hate.

The other day, on my way to work, I was at a traffic light behind a work truck.  By work truck, I mean a truck that was wrapped to advertise the business that it dealt in.  I honestly can't remember what the business was, but I was busy contemplating the multiple bumper stickers that adorned its back end.  Most of them resembled something like this:

Regardless of my own political affiliation, this was my thought on this:

1) Why would you want to spend SO much energy hating something SO very much that you are willing to deface your own care about how much you hate a certain _______________? (fill in the blank with your own politician, sports team, etc.)  I don't understand this.  

Believe me, I know it's free speech, and by all means, if you want to put stuff all over your car, go for it.  I just wonder why people would want to choose to dwell on hate so much.  Wouldn't you rather spend your energy supporting the candidate of your choice? Just a question.

2) Why would you want to affix your political/religious/sports/favorite grocery chain/etc. labels on something that has to do with your business, your bread-and-butter, your livelihood?  I would only assume that based on the fact that people put hate stickers on their cars, that if they saw an opposing sticker on a service vehicle, they're not going to be doing a quick jot-down of that phone number for the next time they need a roto-rooter (it wasn't a root-rooter truck, I just like saying roto-rooter).  Are people willing to alienate potential business by showing these potential clients just how much they abhor the other people's beliefs?

I think that Depeche Mode said it correctly:

"People are people, so why should it be, you and I should get along so awfully?"

I think it's incredibly sad that we as a society are so freaking angry right now.  I have taught my students to "never discuss religion or politics at a party," because I've watched it explode in my classroom and get ugly.  I understand that people are passionate about what they believe in, but when does passion turn ugly and perpetuate hate?

And then, the light turned green.