Judge — June 22, 1929 — page 12: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Cartoon Analysis: "Intimate Glimpses of the Boobus Intelligentsius" This satirical cartoon mocks intellectual pretension among the sophisticated classes. The title references H.L. Mencken's term "booboisie" (combining "booby" and "bourgeoisie"), used to describe the American masses. The scene depicts an upscale social gathering where a young boy—seated prominently—declares ambitions to become President. The adults around him appear to be wealthy intellectuals or socialites, engaged in conversations and surrounded by artwork and refined furnishings. The joke targets the contradiction between sophisticates' supposed intellectual superiority and their casual dismissal of democratic ambitions. By having their child aspire to the presidency, the cartoon ironically suggests that even educated elites' children absorb conventional American values despite their parents' air of superiority and cynicism toward mainstream politics.