Life — January 18, 1917 — page 11: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical cartoon critiques government inadequacy during World War I submarine warfare. A distressed family (man, woman, and child) approaches Uncle Sam, who sits reading "Wall Street News" and smoking. The family has lost possessions displayed on a table—household items, a baby carriage, and documents marked "Money"—representing their complete financial ruin from a U-boat attack three miles offshore. The satire's point: Uncle Sam, portrayed as indifferent and focused only on financial news, offers hollow reassurance ("Oh, that's all right. It happened three miles out") rather than actual protection. The cartoon criticizes the government's failure to defend American civilians and property from German submarines operating near U.S. shores, suggesting official negligence masked by empty platitudes.