In the short story, Harrison Bergeron, Vonnegut creates a society based on equality. Those with any sort of talent, whether it be athleticism, intelligence, or beauty. If our government were to put similar restrictions on people with talent to achieve equality, I would have the physical handicap of weight added to my body to make it harder for me to move. As an athlete, I believe I have more strength than the average person; therefore, in order to make everyone equal, I would need weights that restrict me.
I'm no Harrison Bergeron, but I believe a handicap would be necessary in the society he lived in. The concern would mainly be my lower body (I have no upper body strength). Since I play soccer, I assume the government would restrict my performance in the sport as well, like they do to the ballerinas. Again, I might have weights on my legs to slow me down or reduce the length of my kick, but I may also have an earpiece to distract me as well. If I were able to think better in a game than another person, equality would not exist. The earpiece making noise every minute or so may hinder my playing, which, in 2081, would be a perfectly rational thing. The game would be much slower, in that everyone is just as good as everyone else.
I also play soccer and would most likely have handicaps that limit soccer, too.
ReplyDeleteVery accuate handicap for you. Your handicaps would probably be to bring you down to the level of my less than average running skills.
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