Life — November 30, 1916 — page 6: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of This Life Magazine Page The main cartoon depicts two anthropomorphic tigers engaged in what appears to be a poker or card game at a table, with the caption: "I tell ye yer straight flush ain't no good. My two pair beats it." This is satirical commentary on business dealings or financial negotiations—the tigers represent ruthless businessmen or competitors. The joke plays on the idea that in ruthless commerce, rules are flexible and the stronger party (here, both figures are equally threatening) can claim victory through sheer force rather than actual merit. The "straight flush" losing to "two pair" symbolizes how legitimate advantage gets overruled by negotiating power or deception in business. The surrounding text lists elements of "The Business Dinner," treating corporate socializing as theater with predictable, formulaic steps.