World's Highest Standard of Living

 

 

          This picture appeared in an issue of LIFE magazine in February of 1937. It was taken by Margaret Bourke-White, a prominent photographer of that era. She was the first foreign photographer permitted to take pictures of the Soviet Industry, the first female war correspondent, the first female permitted to work in war zones, and the first female photographer for LIFE magazine (her photo being featured on the cover of the first-ever issue). What is known about the photograph above is that its subjects were supposedly flood victims. Other details have been lost with time and this makes discerning Bourke-White's purpose difficult. Many analysts speculate that she was trying to highlight the irony of the "American Way". As a nation, we've promoted this country to be "hope for the hopeless" and full of infinite opportunity. In reality, things aren't always so peachy. The Great Depression serves as the perfect example for a time that the "American Way" failed those relying on it. The 1930s also failed to recognize non-whites as part of the "American Way". Middle-class families were always depicted as white and well off, while any other demographic was pushed aside. Publishing this photo would have been very controversial because it drudged up the economic and racial issues that government was trying to minimize in the eyes of the public. This mural could even be deemed a form of propaganda. Its message is a blatant contradiction to the suffering taking place around it (i.e. the Great Depression). This photograph was meant for readers of LIFE magazine, but I believe Bourke-White's intended audience was larger than that. I believe she hoped this photo would become popular among an intellectual body that saw flaws in the system and would try to fix them. She predominantly used the rhetorical device of irony to get her message across. I feel as though she achieved her purpose because even 70 years later photography analysts still look to this picture as an effective example of political commentary on a very controversial issue. 

 

Source: http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2008/05/31/worlds-highest-standard-of-living-if-youre-white-and-not-poor/