DALLAS, Jun 19, 2006/ FW/ --- In a parking lot here in Dallas, there were two cars parked side by side. One car had a bumper sticker that said, ‘My child is an honor student at (name of school).’ The other car had ‘My dog is smarter than your honor student.’

It was hilarious seeing them together, one very serious and said with pride; the other one a tongue-in-cheek attitude, though there might be some seriousness in it, too behind the funny words.

It’s a slice of Americana; actually, it might still be part of America’s pop culture. Whatever it is, it gives a glimpse of the American psyche, our ability to be able to laugh and make fun of ourselves.

Here’s another one – one, a real road sign, the other virtual.

MADD, (the acronym for Mothers Against Drunk Drivers) is headquartered here in Dallas. In one of the freeways, there is a sign, ‘MADD Headquarters next right.’

Someone took a photo of the road. Then with the magic of Photoshop added the sign ‘DAMM Headquarters next left,’ the virtual sign on the other side of the freeway. DAMM stands for ‘Drunks Against Mad Mothers.’

It went around via email giving everyone a good laugh. But, don’t be fooled by the laughter. MADD gets a lot of support from the Dallas area. DAMM might be a joke, but MADD is not, and people take it seriously!

Back to the honor student bumper sticker…

The parents have a right to be proud of their children’s achievement. Add to that the fact that last May, Newsweek rated ‘Talented & Gifted’ a high school here in Dallas as the top high school in the U.S., Dallas parents have another thing to be proud of.

Still, we should not take the ‘smart dog’ sticker as just a joke. Dog owners dote on their pets as if they are their own children. Taking care of pets is a multi-billion dollar business here in the U.S.

The pet business is so huge that there are even clothes and accessories made especially just for dogs! A dog owner can buy jewelry for their favorite canine.

And my favorite, the Louis Vuitton dog carrier available at Neiman Marcus; dog owners here in the Dallas area buy it! It just goes to show how much they love their dogs that they want to bring them everywhere!