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Argument Essay On Equality

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Equality Argument Essay “THE YEAR WAS 2081, and everybody was finally equal.” these are the first words read in the short story, “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut. The story is about a future where everyone in the world is, “not only equal in front of God and the law”, but also equal in every which way, like knowledge and looks and physical ability. In the story, a couple is watching tv and witness their arrested son break into a ballet and dance a wonderful dance only to be shot dead by the handicapper general herself. That leaves a question, what the reader can easily tell from the story is that the author believes that equality is a bad thing. To end, I believe that equality is not what we should need one hundred percent but give everyone an equal chance and see where they take it.

To start, why would equality be so bad? From the first view, equality sounds like a good thing. Everyone gets equal treatment, pay, etc. But what about when a serial killer gets the same treatment a veterinarian. How fair would it be for someone who saves animals lives to be treated the same publically as someone who's murdered, multiple people? After seeing this, equality can seem fairly split, but there's also a difference, there's equality then there's equity. Equality would be people treated equal, especially socially and equal opportunities, while equity is definite fairness. That means people brought down or up to meet the same level. What I believe was exhibited in the story “Harrison Bergeron”, was not equality, but actually equity. This can be seen by them bringing people down from their abilities or up to meet a standard to make everyone equal. As the story states, “A little mental handicap radio in his ear. He was required by law to wear it at all times”, that means they are bringing some people down to the same level but at the same time not bringing people up to that level. “Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else”, the idea of this, in theory, seems clever. Everyone equal in every single way, even mentally. But the more the reader may think of it, they see little holes. There's no drive to get better, no devotion to beat something, there's just what it is and the reader can't do anything to get

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