Life, 1919-03-20 · page 8 of 44
Life — March 20, 1919 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes communist ideology through mock dictionary definitions and two cartoon panels. The top illustration shows a man discovering his horse's ancestry—a joke about absurd genealogical claims. The "Bolshevik Definitions" section mocks Soviet communism by redefining familiar terms: a "Capitalist" is someone of better standing than yourself; a "Martyr" is anyone shot in an argument; a "Torch of Freedom" means any tool to start fire (violence); a "Tyrant" exploits workers; a "Soviet" is an organization of presidents and treasurers (ironic); a "Socialist" is an idealistic pedant; a "Medievalist" still believes in family and work. The bottom cartoon, "The Making of a Bolshevik," depicts a child being corrupted by money and chaos—suggesting communist propaganda corrupts youth. This reflects post-WWI American anti-communist sentiment.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
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