Kurt Vonnegut's story "Harrison Bergeron" explores an interesting premise: What would happen in a society where everyone was truly equal? At face value, it seems consistent with American ideals to create a culture where all people are equal; after all, the Declaration of Independence claims, "All men are created equal." In Vonnegut's story, set in 2081, the U. S. Constitution has been amended 213 times in order to achieve that ideal originally expressed in 1776....
Kurt Vonnegut's story "Harrison Bergeron" explores an interesting premise: What would happen in a society where everyone was truly equal? At face value, it seems consistent with American ideals to create a culture where all people are equal; after all, the Declaration of Independence claims, "All men are created equal." In Vonnegut's story, set in 2081, the U. S. Constitution has been amended 213 times in order to achieve that ideal originally expressed in 1776. At last, "everybody was finally equal."
As the story progresses, readers see what such a society would be like. Since it is impossible to give people innate talents and abilities that they don't already possess, a culture bent on equality has no way to raise its citizens to the level of its most highly gifted members. It can only create equality by limiting the abilities of those with superior mental or physical functioning, bringing them down to the "average" level, which, in practice, would need to be the lowest level. Anyone who was superior in any way to anyone else would have to be "handicapped" so he or she could not take advantage of higher intelligence, greater strength or endurance, or any other unique talent he or she possessed.
Obviously, smoothing out the peaks of performance results in lower achievements in the entire society. As a result, dancers are clumsy and TV announcers have horrible voices and can barely read. Vonnegut conveys the idea that others' superior talents make a society interesting and fulfilling. Those who don't have talents in one area can be amazed by and/ or work toward the feats others are capable of and can put their own talents to use in the areas in which they excel. A society cannot be improved nor can people find fulfillment by dragging down people with superior abilities to an average level. Conversely, only when people are encouraged to pursue the highest levels of which they are capable, and when they can appreciate rather than envy others' successes, can a society thrive and fully benefit its members.
How does that jibe with the Declaration of Independence? Quite well, actually, for the founders' point was that all people "are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights." Government's job is to secure equal rights for all, not to make sure all people are literally equal.
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