Judge — September 13, 1924 — page 42: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a satirical cartoon critiquing Prohibition (the ban on alcohol, 1920-1933). The cartoon imagines an absurd parallel: what if water—essential to life—were prohibited instead of alcohol? The illustration depicts urban chaos with signs reading "DRINK DINK" (appearing to reference illegal drinking establishments) and shows people gathering illicitly to consume water, mimicking the speakeasies and bootlegging that flourished under Prohibition. The crowded, confused scene with multiple storefronts and hidden activities parodies how Prohibition created underground criminal enterprises rather than eliminating drinking. The satire's point: prohibiting a basic human necessity would be ridiculous and unenforceable—a direct jab at Prohibition itself. By substituting water for alcohol, the cartoonist highlights the absurdity of trying to legislate away something people fundamentally need or desire, suggesting Prohibition was equally futile and counterproductive.