Life — March 21, 1930 — page 5: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Are You an Ostrich?" Political Cartoon Analysis This satirical cartoon depicts an ostrich with its head buried in sand, labeled "USA" with "PROSPERITY" written nearby. The accompanying text compares American prosperity to an ostrich's defensive posture—suggesting that wealth and comfort have made citizens indifferent to growing threats (likely religious fanaticism or political extremism, based on references to "fanatic interests" and "prohibition"). The satire argues that Americans' financial security blinds them to dangers, much as an ostrich supposedly ignores threats by burying its head. The text questions whether material comfort justifies abandoning principles like tolerance and liberty that "our forefathers fought" for, implying that 1920s prosperity enables complacency toward authoritarian movements or restrictive laws (possibly Prohibition era regulations).