Life — June 7, 1928 — page 11: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of Will Rogers' "Life" Article on Prohibition and Farm Relief Will Rogers uses satire to mock both major political parties' platform promises. The main cartoon depicts a collapsing structure labeled "Political Planks," suggesting campaign promises are unstable. Rogers ridicules the Prohibition debate specifically, proposing absurdist alternatives: "Wine for the rich, beer for the poor, and moonshine liquor for the prohibitionist." He's satirizing how both parties would campaign on Prohibition despite widespread public support for alcohol. On Farm Relief, Rogers is even more scathing, claiming neither party will actually help farmers—they'll only offer vague promises. He writes sardonically: "I WILL CURE HIM. Who but a Farmer would ask for 'relief' for his troubles?" The bottom cartoon shows a farmer with a tractor, illustrating the agricultural focus. Rogers' point: political platforms are hollow promises disconnected from real solutions.