Judge — December 31, 1927 — page 9: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "The New Yorker Who Wanted to Get Away From It All" This multi-panel cartoon satirizes a New York City resident's failed attempt at escape. Panel 1 shows courtroom chaos; panel 2 depicts a man fleeing with a map of U.S. railroads; panel 3 shows him working as a porter; panel 4 displays a long train. Panels 5-8 follow his journey, culminating in Bonksville (panel 7), where he encounters the same social pressures and conflicts he sought to escape—shown through arguments and confrontations with locals. The satire suggests that personal problems, social obligations, and urban anxieties follow you regardless of geography. A New Yorker cannot truly "get away from it all" by relocating; the fundamental issues remain. The joke reflects early 20th-century attitudes about New York's fast-paced, complicated social environment versus rural simplicity.