No Passing

On the way back home, we ended up behind a McDonald's truck that has the images of food on the sides and a sheath of fries in the back. The words above the fries read "No Passing." Given we were stuck behind the slow-moving truck for a while, we had time to discuss this.

Having traveled by road often, I've seen signs for "No Passing" on the backs of trucks before. It simply means this vehicle is way too big for you to see around and it would be down right stupid to try to pass this large vehicle on a winding country road - even in a passing zone. 

But the image of fries led to many other possible meanings. I'm sure the advertisers would like the interpretation that we can't pass up the opportunity to get some of those mouth-watering fries. It sets into our mind the temptation, so the next time we see a McDonald's we may stop and buy some. 

Then there was another interpretation - a darker one: No passing, as in no passing the fries to someone else. When people sit around a meal at a table, we ask one another to "pass" the food to us so we can partake. We are sharing the food before us. This thus reads - do not share. Keep all the good food to yourself. Be greedy.

There are actually a number of commercials in America that clearly indicate this is what we should do. Skittles, for example, encourages not only the fact that we hoard the candy to ourselves but that we should actually harm another who may want some.

That led us to wonder about the statement on this truck. Do they simply mean don't pass the truck; it's unsafe? Do they mean don't pass up an opportunity to get these fries? (Not too healthy, but still reasonable advertising.) Or do they mean don't share the fries? 

What does it mean to those of us viewing the image? With all the other corporate conditioning we receive through our life, how do we read this?

In the end, I chose to read it this way: Drive Safely; Share the Fries.
- ESA