Judge — June 5, 1926 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Explanation for Modern Readers This is a humorous poem by Arthur L. Lippmann celebrating nearsighted men as superior workers. The satire mocks 1920s consumer culture and male distraction. The cartoon shows a town catering to nearsighted people with exaggerated signage, billboards, and advertisements. The poem's joke is ironic: while a nearsighted man *can't* see attractive women's legs, fancy cars (Fiats and Packards), or advertising billboards that distract others, this is actually *beneficial*. He stays focused on his job instead of being tempted by consumer goods and visual distractions. The author argues nearsighted men are more productive and reliable workers—they're "immune to distraction" in an increasingly advertisement-saturated society. It's satire on how modern life constantly competes for attention, suggesting that *inability* to see these temptations makes someone more dependable. The preference for "queer-sighted" and "totally nearsighted" men over "clear-sighted" ones inverts conventional thinking.