Harrison Bergeron

Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut,

I take the issues discussed in this short story seriously. We never know what might happen in the future.The images portrayed in this short story are rather scary. They put emphasis on equality. So much so they would wear mental handicap radio, sashweight, bag of birdshot and even mask. This way, no one is smarter, lighter or even prettier than the other person. Basically everyone is equal in every way no matter what their gender is. This is how they live in the year 2081.I do not like the vision of the future presented in this story. Before reading this short story, I believe that men and women status needs to be equalised. Now, after reading Harrison Bergeron, I wish I never think of the matter. I want equality in life but not as extreme as the one portrayed in this short story. We cannot equalise intelligence or speed. This is because we are made out of different genes. Everyone must have something special and something common in them. A person might be a genius but has problems playing soccer because of his slow reflex.One of the two social questions asked in this short story is about the place of the media in our lives. The media is a very important tool for communication. It also provides us with information we need. It can be a powerful weapon and can be used to influence people. We do not have to wait until 2081 to see this. The media has influenced us for a very long time. A simple advertisement about a toy will drive a kid crazy and thus influence him to get one.Next is the question of our freedom to act as individuals. Are we free to act as individuals? I believe this is not quite true. We are somewhat free to act as individuals. One person can choose to work overtime or not but it all depends on his/her boss. We cannot refuse him/her because we fear we might loose the job. This person is still not free to act as him/herself.I can see both reality and absurdity in this short story. It is already a reality that the media is influencing us. I find it absurd to be equal in all ways. This can never happen. We can equalise weights and intelligence but can we equalise gender itself? The answer is no. It is no loner equal when the duty of giving birth is given solely to female.To conclude, we should appreciate what we have today. It is good that we fight for what we want but sometimes, it is better to just sit back and enjoy everything we have right now.