Life — June 19, 1931 — page 5: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This page features a courtroom satire titled "Two Business Prophets Meet." The illustration depicts a trial scene where one businessman testifies about dumping another's body, dismissing it casually while claiming his own income remains unaffected. The dialogue satirizes Depression-era business cynicism. Two executives discuss commodity price deflation, wage liquidation, and building contracts showing "greater than normal" growth despite economic crisis. One notes "the trend is upward" while acknowledging widespread hardship. The right-hand column, "Are We Downhearted?", offers grim economic predictions: new college graduates will start at the bottom and stay there; companies are offering two-week unpaid vacations; customs officials now scrutinize passport photos to assess citizens' hardship. The satire targets callous business rhetoric masking Depression suffering—executives congratulating themselves on "fundamentally sound" practices while ordinary people struggle.