Judge — September 23, 1922 — page 14: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon shows a large aircraft labeled "Broker" shining a searchlight beam downward onto silhouetted figures below labeled "Consumer" and "Ford." The caption reads "We have gliders of our own." This appears to be Depression-era satire critiquing the relationship between financial brokers, automobile manufacturers (Ford), and consumers. The "gliders" metaphor suggests that brokers and Ford are using consumers as unpowered aircraft—extracting value while consumers have no real agency or independent power. The searchlight implies surveillance or targeting of the vulnerable working class. The cartoon likely comments on how big business exploited consumers during economic hardship, with Ford (then a major employer) and financial interests depicted as controlling forces.