Member-only story
Individual Freedom vs. Forced Equality
Affirmative Action and Cancel Culture through the Lens of Kurt Vonnegut
If you are a fan of Black Mirror like me, you might also have read Kurt Vonnegut’s dystopian short story Harrison Bergeron in the past. I was just thinking about that story in light of current news about equality and debated changes in society; especially in education.
Kurt Vonnegut’s short story “Harrison Bergeron” is a dystopian tale that depicts a future society where everyone is forced to be equal, and any perceived advantages or disadvantages are strictly controlled by the government. In this society, intelligent people are forced to wear devices that limit their mental abilities, attractive people are forced to wear masks to hide their faces, and strong people are forced to wear weights to limit their physical abilities. You get the idea.
I think that this storyline continues to be relevant today even though it was written a good 60 years ago. One way in which it relates to the current state of society is the issue of social inequality. The story highlights the dangers of trying to force equality by limiting the abilities of those who excel in various areas. This can be seen in our modern society, where there are ongoing debates about affirmative action, income inequality, and social justice. Especially…
