Life — September 1934 — page 9: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Our Country" - Life Magazine, September 1934 This page satirizes American life during the Depression-era New Deal. The cartoon at bottom depicts a family amid economic chaos—a wrecked car, scattered furniture, and domestic disorder—suggesting the instability of ordinary American households. The text sections mock various absurdities: Washington officials mispronouncing words, the absurdly low salary of the American ambassador to Hungary ($14,000), and a demographic crisis where the U.S. birth rate has declined since 1924. One section quotes economist W.W. Kiplinger warning that fewer young people means "business men will be older." The "President's Flat" item notes Roosevelt lives in a modest Manhattan apartment, poking gentle fun at his residence. Overall, the page uses humor to comment on governmental incompetence, economic hardship, and social decline during the early Roosevelt administration.