Shawnee ? Sandra Wetmore, lover of country and supporter of troops, was looking for a simple way to show her allegiances.

So like so many other Americans, she decided to place them, for all to see, on her bumper with a yellow ribbon-shaped magnet pleading “Support Our Troops” and others promising “United We Stand” and “God Answers Prayers.”

“It’s very positive,” said Wetmore, a 59-year-old grandmother from Kansas City, Kan., who believes she’s sending a strong message with the magnets.

Such magnets have become fixtures on interstates and in driveways across the country, a distinct symbol of a wartime country looking for a way to show support of its men and women overseas.

Observers say they communicate more than motorists’ backing of the military — or, for that matter, breast cancer research or autism awareness. It’s a sign of an American public searching for its own identity while also seeking common ground, and in a way that lets them easily offer support to a political cause.

“I think it’s immediate, I think it’s cheap, and I think it’s something that you can say, ‘Well, I’m doing something,”‘ said Wichita State University sociologist Ron Matson, who noted that the magnets contrast with the way support for causes was shown in generations past. “It’s very different than carrying a flag out in public or putting yourself on the line by handcuffing yourself to a gate.”

Others aren’t nearly so polite.

“We couldn’t believe that this thing was actually as big as it is,” said Jeff Poirier, one of six twentysomethings in suburban Boston to launch SupportOurRibbons.com, which offers magnets sporting messages including “Support Our Ribbons,” “I Support More Troops Than You” and “One Nation Under Ribbons.”

“Ribbons support many causes,” said Poirier, a 25-year-old legal assistant. “Isn’t it time that we support them?”

Piece of history

Sandra Wetmore shows the three magnetic ribbons she keeps on the back of her car at her Kansas City, Kan., home. The ribbons are becoming an increasingly popular way for Americans show their support for a variety of causes, though some call it an empty gesture.

A single piece of typically monochrome ribbon, resembling a loop with twin diagonal tails, has long served as a simple symbol of a given cause, from red for AIDS to pink for breast cancer. Yellow ribbons became widespread during the Iran hostage crisis in 1979, and use continued during the Persian Gulf War in 1991.

Two years ago, a magnetic version of the ribbons — mostly yellow ones or variations on the support-the-troops theme — began popping up on bumpers across the country. Veterans’ groups were selling them, but then mass retailers got in the act. Today, it’s difficult to take a drive in many areas without seeing at least one.

Pick a cause

So many have popped up — pledging support of everything from those with diabetes to victims of the Asian tsunami — that some have found the trend laughable. Jay Barnes is the author of AntiMagnet.com, a Web state devoted to ridiculing the trend.

“Putting a ribbon magnet on your car is an empty gesture,” Barnes said. “It’s prepackaged sentiment for a profit.”

Losing meaning?

Observers of the trend say the magnets fall in the same category as the yellow “Live Strong” bracelets made popular by Lance Armstrong. They’re objects bearing messages it seems hard to oppose.

“Our desire to express our identity has been forced into a corner,” said Mary Meehan of Inconoculture Inc., a consumer trend research company in Minneapolis. “It’s a non-statement statement.”

Robbie Blinkoff, a cultural anthropologist who does consumer research for Baltimore-based consulting firm Context-Based Research Group, agreed.

“Who can be upset with you for buying a Live Strong bracelet?” he asked. “Who can say no to supporting the troops?”