Social Injustice In Kurt Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron

Is total equality worth the price of an abusive government? Governments are trusted to protect their civilians, and when that trust is breached it is an injustice. A social negligence might occur if a regime begins abusing their citizens, like in Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.’s short story, “Harrison Bergeron”. “Harrison Bergeron is an example of a social injustice because the government erases individuality, prevents progressive thinking, and kills those who try to rebel. First of all, “Harrison Bergeron” displays a social injustice because the government limits and almost completely eliminates individuality. In the first paragraph, the narrator describes the background of the story. The narrator states, “The year was 2081, and everyone was finally equal. [...] Nobody was smarter [...] better looking [...] stronger or quicker than anybody else” (Vonnegut, Jr 1133). These lines precede the narrator telling readers about the Constitutional amendments put in place to equalize everyone and eradicate individuality. This quote

While George and Hazel Bergeron, Harrison Bergeron’s parents, are watching a ballet on their television, the narrator describes George’s thoughts by stating, “George was toying with the vague notion that maybe ballerinas shouldn’t be handicapped. But he didn’t get very far with it before another noise in his ear radio scattered his thoughts” (Vonnegut, Jr. 1134). The mental handicaps citizens like George have are used by the regime to not only make them “equal” to other citizens, but to also confine the thoughts of these civilians. By restricting the minds of the Americans, this government allows itself to function without the threat of being overthrown, thereby permitting it to commit a social injustice by having the ability to abuse its citizens as much as the regime wants