Life, 1921-09-08 · page 7 of 36
Life — September 8, 1921 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a satirical manifesto from *Life* magazine mocking the editorial philosophy of mass-market American magazines. The winged figure labeled "Efficiency" and "Circulation" represents the commercialized spirit driving magazine content. The satire targets magazines' pandering approach: stories must end happily, include business success lessons, cater to "half a million women subscribers in small towns of the Middle West," and feature pretty girls. The piece ridicules self-censorship—using "h---" instead of profanity, avoiding sexual references with asterisks, never mocking established superstitions, and protecting advertisers. The closing line—"I am right"—delivers the punchline: these magazines claim moral authority while admitting they're driven purely by profit-seeking mediocrity aimed at the lowest common denominator.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
) SS SAL \ I AM THE SPIRIT OF AMERICAN MAGAZINES: I am dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equally stupid. I know What the Public Wants and, safe in this knowledge, I dictate my commandments to the makers of our national literature. In my realm— No stories shall end unhappily. Each shall contain a lesson, preferably of how the hero made fifty thousand dollars and was promoted to the Sales Managership. Omnipotent shall be the presence of the “half a million women subscribers in the small towns of the Middle West.” What they like, goes. Any illustration which has a pretty girl in it is the kind of Art we want. On such occasions as it is necessary to use the word “hell,” it shall be printed “h---.” There shall be no direct mention made of biological functions in a serious manner, but a row of asterisks in a spirit of romance never hurt anyone, and often helps circulation. Readers like to laugh, but not to be laughed at. Satire is too promiscuous and might hit some of our readers. No one shall poke fun at any public superstition which is of more than fifty years’ standing. It is just as well not to irritate an advertiser. I am the Spirit of American Magazines, dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equally stupid. And the worst of it is, I am right. comicbooks.com