Life, 1911-01-05 · page 64 of 104
Life — January 5, 1911 — page 64: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes the psychology of consumer desire and rationalization, specifically around early-1900s automobiles. The diary entry follows a man who repeatedly claims he cannot afford a car, yet progressively talks himself into buying an expensive one through increasingly elaborate justifications. The satire works through escalating rationalization: he notices a cheap used car, then a slightly better one, then obsesses over neighbor Quinby's fancier model. Each entry shows him reconsidering, always finding reasons why *this* particular car is actually a necessity. By April, he's purchased a $3,000 Roadburner—expensive for the era. The accompanying cartoon (bottom left) shows a man leaving a woman on a train, humorously illustrating absent-minded distraction—possibly suggesting the protagonist's preoccupation with cars over domestic life. The satire targets how people rationalize luxury purchases through comparison, perceived bargains, and financial reworking, suggesting human nature hasn't changed much regarding consumer temptation and self-deception.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
LIFE Diary of a Prospective Automobilist M282 13.—If a man has plenty of money I don’t Llame him for buy- stomobile—that is, if he wants sonally, however, I don’t hanker fter them. I can’t afford a chauffeur nd I haven't time to take care of one yself. [am glad my wife agrees with me. March 20.—I just happened to see an attractive ad in the paper this morning A man offers to sell his standard-make runabout at second-hand for four hun- dred dollars, which is about one-third of the original cost. If I could afford to buy an automobile, it might be worth looking up. If I did buy a car, it would be a runabout, and a fellow could save a lot of money by getting a second-hand one March 21.—Dropped in at an agent's to-day and he says that now is the time to pick up dandy bargains. He me a Speederine that has been run only a little over a thousand miles, Can be bought for eight hundred dollars. It would be just the thing for our little family. March 22.—Have firmly decided not to buy a car just now. Dropped in at the agent’s and told him positively I wouldn't take that Specderine. He was very pleasant about it and said he would showed The Professor: DRELLA t 1 WENT TO THE Lost TRAIN WEEK, 18 17 Now MY DEAR, LEFT ON THE WHERE 1 REALL LAST “THAT'S Goon. “en? ny sovet have no trouble at all in getting rid of it. He said the man who bought it could turn right around and sell it easily ata fifty per cent. advance. If I thought that was so I'd buy it myself. March 23.—It’s foolish for a man of my income even to think about owning a machine of any kind. My wife told me to-mght that the Quinbys across the way had a new six-cylinder Whizzer. I don’t know where in the world Quinby got the money to buy a car. His house isn't paid for yet. I suppose it will be impossible to live in the same neighbor- hood with him now. March 25.—Just for fun I had the agent take my wife out in that Speed- erine which he says is such a bargain. She understood that I hadn't the remot- est idea of purchasing. And, anyway I'm not so keen about that Speederine. It runs smoothly enough, but it has only four cylinders, two less than Quinby’s Of course, what Quinby has is nothing to me, but then if one is going to buy an automobile at all, one should buy a good one. The beauty about a big car is that you can go anywhere in it March he best car I ever saw is thal model seventy-five horsepower Roadburner. It has Quinby’s beat forty If I could pick up one of those new ways. PROPERTY OFFICE TO-DAY AND GOT THAT UM VM APRAID I—ER—LEPT IT ON THE TRAIN.” ROTATION OF CROPS ON THE PRAIRIE cheap at second-hand I might consider it. March 28—Asked the agent to-day just for curiosity if there was any chance to pick up a bargain in a Roadburner. He said no, because it was such a good machine that no man ever let go after getting hold of one. He said the manu- facturers were away back on their orders as it was. If I ever do get a machine, it will be a Roadburner. I believe it is really cheap at $3,000. March 29.—I was talking to my broker to-day and he says the market is sure to go lower. If that’s the case, I ought to close out my Concentrated Biscuit Preferred. It might even pay me to put that money in an automobile and then pick up the stock later on when it has reached bottom. There are more ways than one of combining business with pleasure. April 1—I had to laugh to-day at the way Quinby looked when I told him I had bought a $3,000 Roadburner, He said a Roadburner was pretty good on the level, but no good for climbing hills, I'll show him Ellis O. Jones comicbooks.com