Life, 1927-10-06 · page 10 of 40
Life — October 6, 1927 — page 10: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from *Life* magazine features a WWI-era satirical cartoon titled "Insult" with the caption: "GEEZ—HE DON'T REMEMBER ME—'N' I TAUGHT HIM TA SAY, 'GO TA HELL!'" The cartoon depicts soldiers in a crowded military setting. The satire appears to target **military discipline and dehumanization**: a soldier encounters an officer or superior who doesn't recognize him despite their previous relationship. The joke suggests that military training transforms individuals into interchangeable units who lose their individuality and former identities. The accompanying text discusses how prizefighters (and by extension, soldiers) must "consider the rights of others," contrasting this with depictions of brutish behavior. The satire criticizes both military culture and masculine aggression, portraying soldiers as stripped of personality and reduced to obedient automatons—a common WWI-era critique of militarism.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“GEZE—IE DON’T REMEMBER ME—AN' 1 TAUGIIT HIM TA Say, GO TA HELL!” Insult H E’S looking at me, the brute! I wish he'd stop. corner table! What does he see in her? There's a typi- He's positively feasting his eyes on me! I hate it. cal man, I'M say! ‘They don’t know their own minds, The brute! I can’t even look up or he'd think I was.. any more than rabbits! “ust like all the rest of them— There! Now he’s looking away. Thank goodness! It the brute! ALM. S., Jr. made me shiver to have him positively feasting. What's he looking at now? Oh, I see.... That blonde HE. prizefighter, to be a success, must always con- with the point-needlework-and-lace-insertion yoke at the sider the rights of others comicbooks.com