Saturday, April 11, 2009

SIGNS OF TIMES GONE BY

Someone recently sent me an e-mail with a bunch of those old Burma Shave saying that were popular years ago. That's where there were four signs spaced along the highway that made up a funny saying dealing with safe driving, then a fifth one with the words, "Burma Shave".

They were popular when my sister and I were kids, and we always looked forward to reading them while on a trip. My parents enjoyed them, also, but that was probably because it gave them a brief respite from hearing us argue or asking how much further we had to go.

Along with Burma Shave signs, we also enjoyed looking at regular billboards. Reading them not only gave us something to do but also told us things to look for while passing through a new town, such as auto dealers and restaurants. We also played a game called "Alphabet" that relied on signs. In case you're not familiar with that game, it was guaranteed to create several arguments about who saw what letter first. An argument always made the time go faster, though our parents might not agree.

Maybe those signs from long ago are why I have difficulty understanding why people complain about billboards today. For one thing, not only do they tell my wife and I how far to an exit that sells certain brands of gas, but we also use them to locate our preferred (healthy) fast food restaurant when we don't bother to bring a cooler of sandwiches and bottled water. We also depend on them to help locate a motel -- a big help while exhausted from driving all day.

The people who do complain, say it takes away from the natural beauty of the forests and farmlands. Personally, after staring at nothing for forty or fifty miles but trees and plowed fields, it's a relief to see anything else, including signs. I'd gladly welcome more advertisements along the road, not less.

Maybe the lack of billboards is why most drivers feel a need to drive ten to twenty miles an hour above the speed limit on freeways. They're simply bored and in a hurry to get where they're going where they'll have something to look at. I'll bet if Burma Shave signs ever come back into style, people will slow down to read them. Sure, and pigs will line up to take turns at the trough.

No comments: