Life, 1928-08-02 · page 30 of 36
Life — August 2, 1928 — page 30: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This letter to *Life*'s editor defends political lying as necessary to democracy. The writer argues that *Life* magazine's campaign against "bunk" (falsehoods) in politics is misguided and dangerous. The satire's premise: voters are naturally apathetic. Only sensational political rhetoric—exaggeration, emotional appeals, dishonesty—can motivate citizens to vote and participate. A truthful campaign speech admitting candidates are mediocre and self-interested would bore everyone; election turnout would collapse and democratic institutions atrophy. The letter mocks this logic by proposing absurdly honest political speech, then contrasts it with "the Political Liar" who excites the electorate through deception. The piece satirizes both cynical political operators who weaponize misinformation *and* citizens' susceptibility to manipulation—suggesting American democracy depends on con artists to function. It's commentary on the gap between democratic ideals (informed citizenry) and cynical reality (voters motivated by theater, not facts).
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Always popular— Welch's with cracked ice or ginger ale or sparkling water. For the Porch Party Part of the pleasure of serving Welch's Grape Juice is the knowl- edge that it’s so healthful as well as so refreshing. Just like the fresh fruit, Welch’s supplies mineral salts, fruit nour- ishment, and vitamines that help to keep your body in order. For it is the rich pure juice of fresh Con- cord grapes. Only the very finest Concord grapes in each year’s vintage are pressed for Welch’s. That is why it tastes so much better than anyother grape juice, whether you drink it straight, blended or diluted. It’s a fine fruit juice for children, and, luckily, they like it as well as grown ups. Recipes, including the always-popular Welch Punch, are printed on every label. . . . Free—Ideas for Summer Drinks, Mail a postcard to The Welch Grape Juice Co., Westfield, N. Y., L-90, In Canada, St. Catharines, Ontario. WELCH’S Once you've tasted Welch’s no other grape sutce will do ANOTHER DEFENDER OF BUNK To tHe Eprtor oF Lire. Str: For a long series of years I have held my peace and paid my subscription to Lire, though its stand on such matters as vivisection, Prohibition, Jew baiting and a good many others has met with my un- qualified condemnation. But you have now added “the last straw.” Your posi- tion on the above-mentioned issues has been capable of being overlooked on the ground that there might be two opinions about them. But when you propose to take the BUNK out of politics it is time for every good man to seize his trusty typewriter and come to the aid of the country. We live in a democracy. It is an axiom that the indifference of the voter is the {| sleeping sickness most likely of all plagues to destroy popular government. Prophets {of decay tell us that if all the self-dis- franchised voters were laid end to end, nothing short of the crack of doom would induce them to get up again. If this is true, and I accept it, then the real patriot is he who incites the citizen to gird up his plus-fours and get out to the polls. Who is the hero that performs this public service? Who is the goose whose cackle saves Rome? He is the anointed purveyor of BUNK: He is the POLITI- CAL LIAR. Your Bunkless campaign would pro- duce some such truthful stump speech as the following: “Fellow Citizens: Here are two of us running for the United States Senate. Neither of us is especially fitted for the office. Neither of us has any clear idea what the real needs of this great and com- plex county are or how they could be met if we did know them. Each of us is fairly honest and of average intelligence. Either of us will do the best he can when it does not require too much of an effort or entail too much inconvenience. We want the office because it confers a certain distinction and has a fair salary connected with it. You would never know which of us was clected except by reading the news- papers. It is doubtful if the effect on any one of you will be anything that he can call either good or bad.” With such a campaign Election Day would be forgotten. Only the banks would notice it. Moss would grow on the bal- lot box; the ballot would rust in its scabbard; suffrage would atrophy, the Nineteenth Amendment become as a tale that is told. But enter the Political Liar. Everything is changed. The air is tense. He arises Fat Does Depart Without Starving Slender people all about you can tell you howto lose fateasily and pleasantly. They done it, and without abnormal exercise or diet They used Marmola prescription tablets, the scientific method. They used them to cor. rect a gland deficiency which makes mazy over-stout. Just as modern doctors do, Marmola has been used for 20 years—mi- lions of boxes of it. The use has grown to enormous proportions, because of results seen in every circle. People who have lost fat and gained new vitality are in every community telling others the way. They will tell you # you ask them. There is no secret about it. The formula of Marmola comes in every box, with the scien. tific reasons for results. You know what you are taking, and why. Go get it if you are over-fat. Read the book in the box, then watch the effects, Do this for ty’s sake, for health’s sake, for greater joy in living. Don’t envy the slender. Go & what they Ga. Marmola prescription tablets are all druggists aft per box. Any drugmist who is out will order from his jobber. MARMOLA Prescription Jablets Yhe Pleasant Way toReduce BUNIONS Quick, saferelieffrom Bunion pain. Prevent shoe pressure. At all drug, shoe, dept. stores, 35¢ DrScholl'’s Zino-pads "sins. For Fres Sample, write The Scholl Mfg. Co., Chicass —nausea, dizziness and faintness caused by all forms of Travel Mo- tion, Sea, Train, Auto, Car or Air Travel Sickness yields promptly to Mothersill’s, 36 73+ & $1.30 at Drug Stores or direct The Mothersill Remedy Co. Ltd. New York ‘Montreat Paris Loosen comicbooks.com