Life — October 26, 1916 — page 10: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 704 The main illustration depicts a man in a suit and hat standing atop a tall building overlooking a cityscape, appearing to contemplate suicide. The caption reads: "ARE YOU MARRIED, JOE?" / "NOT ON YER LIFE, MIKE. I'M A NERVOUS MAN AND I'VE ALWAYS BIN KIND O' SCARED TO TAKE CHANCES." This is dark satirical humor about marriage. The joke inverts expectations: a man standing on a building ledge—typically suggesting suicidal despair—claims he avoids marriage because he's "nervous" and fears "taking chances." The satire mocks marriage as more dangerous than literal suicide. The accompanying text discusses "Wallstreetitis," describing an epidemic of mental illness affecting businessmen during financial volatility, with symptoms including high fever, delirium, and impulse-driven behavior—likely referencing 1920s stock market volatility and its psychological toll.