Life — May 22, 1924 — page 22: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a 12-panel comic strip showing a satirical reversal of historical progress. The title suggests it depicts what modern life would look like if yesterday's primitive conditions persisted into the present day. The panels show figures using contemporary tools and activities—like digging, fighting, and laboring—but in a primitive, caveman-like manner. The progression humorously illustrates that modern conveniences (picks, shovels, structured conflict) exist, but people still struggle and suffer as if still in prehistoric times. The satire appears to critique either human nature's unchanging brutality despite technological advancement, or social conditions that make "progress" feel illusory. The caveman aesthetic suggests civilized behavior remains superficial over our fundamental savage nature.