85. Today in 1920s Turkey: 14 May 1927 (PSA: Pedestrians, Use the Sidewalks!)
Türkçe
Caddeler otomobillere, arabalara, tramvaylara aittir. Yayalar yan kaldırımdan inmeyiniz, çiğnenirsiniz!English
The streets belong to automobiles, cars, and trolleys. Pedestrians do not step off the sidewalks, you will get chewed up!
Comments:
Conceivably there was a time in history when sidewalks and heavy traffic were new additions to the daily struggles of life. First, man avoided predators, then false prophets and tyrants, and now he falls victim to modern machines. At such moments of transition and adjustment it is not unusual to see announcements warning the public of the newest safety threat lurking around the corner. Notices or announcements designed to help citizens navigate the increasingly high-paced, changing public space provide particularly interesting windows into the past.
Traffic accidents had an especially bad effect on the public psyched as they struck unexpectedly and in a very visible way. Before traffic accidents, in an urban setting, how often might one happen upon a dismembered body in the street? Not very often, I assume. But with the increase in cars and consequently car accidents pedestrian deaths became an issue of public safety and Karagöz, as was usually the case, took it upon itself to publish a public service announcement reminding readers to use the sidewalk, lest they be “chewed up” by oncoming traffic.
In order to be as clear as possible in its message, the PSA or Public Service Announcement includes a small image consisting of a man-driven car running over a pedestrian who is screaming in agony. Poke out from the left into the frame is the head of a bearded man, Karagöz to be precise. Karagöz, identifiable by his uniquely flamboyant hat (and beard) is the mascot of this very journal which bears the name of this Turkish shadow puppetry character. Thus, Karagöz personally warns his readers of the perils of walking on the streets instead of the sidewalks, using both text and image.
The problem of traffic accidents was pervasive in the 1920s and the press reflected it. News stories, local hearsay, and personal experiences often fueled the production of cartoons dealing with this subject. Trolley collisions were especially tragic as they involved mass transport and thus more lives (e.g., posts #55 and #176) whereas automobiles were to be feared for their speed and numbers.
Originally published at https://steemit.com on May 14, 2017.
