Life — May 20, 1920 — page 11: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "The Striker's Dream" This comic satirizes labor strikes and doctors' ethics during an early 20th-century labor dispute (likely referencing a doctors' strike). A workman strikes for better pay and shorter hours, then dreams he has an accident requiring immediate surgery. The doctor refuses to operate because doctors are also striking for better pay and shorter hours—creating an ironic reversal where the striker experiences the consequences of strike action. The satire's point: strikes harm workers themselves, not just employers. The workman ironically becomes victim to the same labor action he supports. The comic argues that universal strikes create dangerous situations where essential services (medical care) become unavailable, even to strikers' own community members.