Harrison Bergeron
by Kurt Vonnegut · first published 1961
23% recommend74% neutral3% critical
Why HN recommends it
Short, punchy sci-fi satire of forced equality of outcomes, where a dystopian government handicaps the gifted. Cited as a quick read for anyone debating equity, fairness, and leveling down; easy to find online.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
The year is 2053. The Second American Revolution has been won and equality has finally been achieved-- by making the entire population middle-of-the-road! Everybody is average-- except for Harrison Bergeron. A hopelessly bright young man, he is destined for brain surgery to correct his superior intellect-- until he concocts a plan to liberate the people through a Third American Revolution. But there's always one problem with changing the world ... it may not want to be changed.
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…types, and sibling orders on average don't have identical outcomes. And these differences in outcome by themselves are not unjust, are mere correlations, and therefore do not require fixing. Just read Harrison Bergeron by Vonnegut; it's not long.
on “Harvard discrimination lawsuit: data show penalization of Asian-Americans” ↗…smart person slighted by getting less attention in school? I would argue no. Taking your whole post into account, you might like to read this version of utopia by the late great Kurt Vonnegut titled "Harrison Bergeron": http://www.nationalreview.com/nroriginals/?q=MDllNmVmNGU1NDV...
on “Are Top Students Getting Short Shrift?” ↗…fairness can only work by lowering people rather than by promoting them doing what they are best at. Anyone seeking universal fairness & equal outcomes in all aspects of life should read Kurt Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron as many times as required to change that mindset. http://www.tnellen.com/cybereng/harrison.html "THE YEAR WAS 2081, and everybody was finally equal. They weren't only equal before God and the law. They…
on “Zillow to stop flipping homes, loses more than $550M, lays off 25% of staff” ↗You’re not the only one who notices this. I think you would be interested in Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut [1], a great short story related to this topic. [1]: https://www.cvccworks.edu/Downloads/HarrisonBergeronByKurtVo...
on “I think US college education is nearer to collapsing than it appears” ↗Obligatory canonical SciFi on these matters: 'Examination Day', Henry Slesar http://www.thebostonbachelor.com/2008/examination-day-by-hen... 'Harrison Bergeron', Kurt Vonnegut http://www.tnellen.com/cybereng/harrison.html
on “Court OKs Barring High IQs for Cops” ↗Completely agree. I too, discovered this story around that age, and I have always remembered it with clarity and passion. The other scifi short story I will never forget is Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Not the same topic, but the same sort of punch in very few words.
on “"They're Made out of Meat?" Short first contact sci-fi story” ↗You'd enjoy "Harrison Bergeron", a short story by Kurt Vonnegut http://www.tnellen.com/cybereng/harrison.html
I read a lot of good ones in school: * Hills like White Elephants by Hemingway * A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O'Connor * Harrison Bergeron by Vonnegut * Most Dangerous Game
on “Ask HN: What's the most thought provoking short story you've read?” ↗> Meanwhile, the world outside of the Vonnegut Museum is performing an homage to him by attempting to recreate Harrison Bergeron. Diana Moon Glampers demonstrated a competent executive branch of government. Reality is not so kind. (If you want to know who Diana Moon Glampers is ... Go read "Harrison Bergeron".)
on “Kurt Vonnegut Museum Opens in Indianapolis” ↗Read "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut. http://tnellen.com/cybereng/harrison.html
on “I've worn Alexa-enabled glasses for two weeks. They're driving me bananas” ↗"Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut will always have a place in my heart. I also quite liked a Ray Bradbury short story that I believe was called "The Homecoming". However I had to look it up. I think that was it. I used…
on “Ask HN: Favorite Short Fiction?” ↗+1 for the Vonnegut reference Tldr Harrison Bergeron is a satire of the desire to make all outcomes equal. Worth a read.
on “Stanford and Cal profs level accusations as debate over math curriculum rages” ↗Harrison Bergeron by Vonnegut describes this quite well. See http://www.tnellen.com/cybereng/harrison.html
on “An update on the campaign to defend serious math education in California” ↗…teen/young adult years, it just amazes me how prescient some of these early stories from sci-fi are. Asimov's "The Naked Sun" just seems more and more applicable as we move "forward." As does Vonnegut's "Harrison Bergeron". I miss these days of SciFi.
on “The Pedestrian” ↗…that I'm a competent musician at best -- far, far below professional level. Are you arguing that no one should be allowed to be a pro basketball player or musician? You should go read a story called Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut.
on “The Greatest Wealth Transfer in History Is Here, with Familiar (Rich) Winners” ↗