Fairness In Kurt Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron

“Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are”- Benjamin Franklin. Although many believe that the world is a minor step away from achieving equality for all, these individuals’ are strongly mistaken. Unfortunately, individuals’ often overlook various occurrences’ of inequitable treatment in their own lives; due to their modernized outlook on fairness, as well as what the term “being fair” truly stands for in society. Throughout my lifetime I have been exposed to an immense amount of lessons connecting to the same base of social justice issues worldwide. However, several short stories as well as seminars in particular have created a substantial impact on my perspective towards the topic. For this reason, I believe that the central theme connecting the work based off of the topic is; oppressing others due to superiority/stereotypes creates unjust acts of

However, masking your true identity/ handicapping your capabilities, is a form of inequality within itself; as the key to fair treatment is acceptance of yourself as well as others’ around you. Connecting to the short story Harrison Bergeron, by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. a quote in which the future is being described greatly connects to the central theme of fairness, “They were equal every which way. Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else.’ This specific quote connects immensely to the overall theme, as those with differences are subjected to fit in with others by inequitable treatment towards the group. In the short story, individuals of higher capabilities/beauty were handicapped in an effort to create worldwide equality. However, equality comes with acceptance, thus the majority ought to welcome all and work together in an effort to