Judge, 1932-02-06 · page 10 of 36
Judge — February 6, 1932 — page 10: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "The Left-Foot Problem" - Judge Magazine Satire This piece satirizes the economic disruption caused by the **automatic clutch's introduction to automobiles**. Previously, drivers used their left foot constantly to operate manual clutches; the new technology rendered this skill obsolete, creating genuine unemployment concerns for workers trained exclusively in that task. Author Chet Johnson mocks both the scale of hand-wringing over this "crisis" and the government's ponderous response—hinting at a potential presidential commission on "Idle Left Feet." The cartoons show absurd alternative uses: using one's left foot to signal from car windows, operating organ pedals while driving, or kicking boxes. The final panel's caption ("Ah, madam, that battleship gray is just your color") appears unrelated, suggesting editorial filler. The satire targets **political overreaction to technological progress** and **Depression-era anxiety about job displacement**, while poking fun at proposed government solutions to market-driven obsolescence. The humor relies on treating a minor inconvenience as a major national crisis warranting political intervention.
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JUDGE The Left-Foot Problem By Chet Johnson H enxpreps of thousands of Ameri- can left feet a ing thrown out of work by the introduction of the automatic clutch, For years and years they have been trained to push out and let in clutch pedals. And) now, almost without warning, they are being made the nocent sufferers of a ruthless machine ust forget you have a left foot when you are driving,” suggests one motor-car maker, But such a vital nnot be dismissed so airily. Jobless American left feet must not be forgotten, After all, they are our nd it is our duty to find some- for them to do. issue G™ ater minds than mine already re delving into the problem. There even is a hint that a Commis- sion on Idle Left Feet may be named by the President. But such groups al- ways move pondcrously. In the mean- time our left feet are facing a work- less winter. In the hope of arriving at some really worth-while solution of this issue, I have been doing a little ex- perimental work. The results, if not al ays one hundred per cent. satis- ; are encouraging and con- vince ‘me that until steady employ- ment is available there are little odd jobs for willing left feet. 07a Lace ae I have found, for example, that with some traini ‘obaties the elemental principles of contort ing, the left foot may be thrust out the window of the driver's compart ment and used for signalling. Al though, due to the present construc- tion of front seats, this involves sit- tiug on the back of the Wis not employed in signalling, my left foot serves as a lever for opening and shutting wind wings and a means of waving to friends without removing a hand from the wheel. Should you prefer indoor work for your left foot, let me pass along a few ideas I have tried and found not en- tirely bad: Equip car with organ, replace floor boards with bass pedals, and play “Asleep in the Deep” with left foot while you drive. Fill front compart- ment with empty boxes and kick them into kind] for the fi Understand, please, that these sug- gestions are offered not as permanent solutions, but rather as temporary measures. The jobless left-foot issue cannot be solved in a moment but is one that commands attention. And if the President doesn’t do something about it, we predict that the Demo- crats will win by a landslide if they put a Left-Foot plank in their plat- form. place Aa “Ah, modom, that battleship gray is just your color.” 8 comicbooks.com