Captain Billy's Whiz Bang #25 — page 18: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical poem attacks moral censors—"ministerial prolocutors"—who condemn the "toddle," a popular 1920s dance involving close physical contact between partners (cheeks pressed together, synchronized movements to jazz). The author defends the dance as inspiring and beautiful, sarcastically mocking the censors' label of it as "vicious." The satire suggests authorities are overly puritanical in condemning youthful romantic expression and modern dance culture. Two brief anecdotes follow: one mocking a woman named Funk who bought a skunk thinking it was a cat, and another about dishonesty not paying off—the "corkscrew out of a job" reference is unclear but appears cautionary. The piece exemplifies 1920s cultural friction between traditionalist morality and modern youth culture.