Life — January 1932 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Defense of Prohibition" - Life Magazine Satire This page satirizes the debate over Prohibition (the 1920-1933 ban on alcohol). Life magazine, initially supporting Prohibition, now recants—admitting they regret their earlier anti-saloon editorials and wallpapers. The cartoon depicts a rotund figure labeled "Anti-Saloon League," the organization that championed Prohibition. The satire argues Prohibition has *failed*: it made speakeasies more elegant than saloons, encouraged drunkenness, and proved unenforceable. The second article, "Our Political Dinosaur," compares the government to an outdated creature, criticizing Prohibition as governmental overreach that contradicts American values of liberty. The overall message: Life's editors are reversing course, now viewing Prohibition as misguided social engineering rather than moral progress.