In society, we are lowering our standards to accommodate the lowest common denominator. We promote mediocrity in order to give those who are less able and talented the chance to succeed rather than promote a policy of improvement and progress. In such a society, the ambition to take initiative and improve oneself disappears, and life becomes stagnate and complacent. Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.'s short story "Harrison Bergeron" demonstrates such a society. The talented are forced to suppress their, the beautiful are made to mask their beauty, and the exceptional are crippled in order to hide that which makes them exceptional.

"The year was 2081, and everybody was finally equal. They weren't only equal before God and the law. They were equal in every which was" (1). This how "society" is in the story. Apparently, perfect. But the idea is not original. It has been promoted before, in the form of communism. As it is plain to see, the idea just does not work. Without any possibility of social and economic advancement, there is no cause to take initiative and improve. No matter how hard you work, you'll always be paid the same amount. There's no reward for the extraordinary, and those who attempt to advance are pushed back down, and those who wish to express new ideas are brutally and often violently suppressed.

Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. takes even this a step further. His use of the future allows for the ideas he expresses to become actual possibilities, for who can know what the future actually holds for us? Suddenly, the means of control that he alludes to may actually exist. For example, take George Bergeron. His is an impressive intellect, but because of the constraints placed upon him he cannot but think on the same level as those such as his wife, those who set the lowest standard for intelligence. George has the potential to exceed in his life, but he cannot move beyond the level that society has decided for him.

Harrison Bergeron personifies the ideals that his society lacks: ambition, excellence, perfection, advancement, individuality. When the news report refers to Harrison, the announcer calls him a "genius and athlete" and deems him "under-handicapped" (42). Just the fact that they feel the need to emphasize these things tells the reader how uncommon such attributes really are.

Harrison's claim of emperor may seem to us to be an almost tyrannical thing, something to be frowned upon. But in a reality of the mediocre and unexceptional, the ambitious and talented may rule. It brings to mind the old saying: "In the land of the blind, the one eyed man is king." In this light, Harrison's claim to power is not uncalled for, for he is truly exceptional, and has the audacity and the mettle to make that claim in a society where such competition is thought of with revulsion and fear.

This is present in our society today, albeit in a less intense way. It is readily seen in the media. Shows such as Jerry Springer and Maury, shows on which the pain, sadness, humiliation, and real troubles of others are used merely for entertainment, appeal to what is known as the lowest common denominator. Reality TV, that bane of intellectuals, seems to some to reach even past the level of the lowest common denominator. Affirmative action calls for the promotion of hiring merely based on race or religion, rather than the merit of talents. In this way the truly competent are ignored in favor of the less qualified but more diverse.

Humans are not replaceable. No one can be easily exchanged for another. We are not equal. Our very nature calls for us to be competitive, to survive using our talents. We're more than carbon and chemicals. That's a line from a song by Thrice, calling for the uprising of the individual. I've been listening to it while writing this piece, and it seems to be the soundtrack of "Harrison Bergeron." I think it'll be nice way to close. Here are the lyrics to "Image of the Invisible," by Thrice. (679)

We're more than carbon,
And chemicals.
We are the image of the invisible.
Free will is our's and,
We can't let go.
We are the image of the invisible.
We can't allow this,
The quiet cull.
We are the image of the invisible.
So we sing out this,
Our canticle.
We are the image of the invisible.

We all were lost now we are found.
No one can stop us or slow us down.
We all are named and we are known.
We know that we'll never walk alone.

We're more than static,
And dial tone.
We are the image of the invisble.
We're emblematic,
Of the unknown.
We are the image of the invisible.
So raise the banner,
Bend back your bows.
We are the image of the invisible.
Remove the cancer,
Take back your souls.
We are the image of the invisible.

We all were lost now we are found.
No one can stop us or slow us down.
We all are named and we are known.
We know that we'll never walk alone.

Though all the world may hate us,
We are named.
Though shadow overtake us,
We are known.

We're more than carbon,
And chemicals.
Free will is our's and,
We can't let go.
We are the image of the invisible.
We're more than carbon,
And chemicals.
We are the image of the invisible.
Free will is our's and,
We can't let go.
We are the image of the invisible.
We can't allow this,
The quiet cull.
We are the image of the invisible.
So we sing out this,
Our canticle.
We are the image of the invisible.

We all were lost now we are found.
No one can stop us or slow us down.
We all are named and we are known.
We know that we'll never walk alone.
We all were lost now we are found.
No one can stop us or slow us down.
We all are named and we are known.
We know that we'll never walk alone.

Raise up the banner,
Bend back your bows,

Remove the cancer,
Take back your souls...

(1030)