Durron Bailey
Harrison Bergeron

1.The opening sentence is saying that its going to take a long time in order for all people to be treated equal. In the story it just say the year 2081 because, the author can see it being that long before total equality takes place. The elimination of competition suggest that whatever type of government that has taken place is similar to a dictatorship.
2.Those changes couldn’t be carried out under American Capitalism. The human tendencies described by Vonnegut id just the human nature of wanting the best for yourself. It isn’t the end result of anything, people should act like they want to act, and if they have money they should be able to show it if they want to. Shows like Oprah are so widely watched because, women just like that type of entertainment. Its no one specific reason why people watch Oprah, the show may just appeal to people look up to figures like Oprah and Rosie because, people would love to have the status that they have. Everyone would love to have the status that those to people have in the world today. Barbie doll have to be designed differently because children these days are smarter than ever before. They realize when something is realistic and when its not. If the toy doesn’t me children’s expectations they are simply just going to stop playing with it. So Barbie is doing whatever she has to do to stay afloat. Grade inflation sometimes just has to be done. If a child is to bright for the grade that he/she is in then they should be moved to a grade more suitable for that child. A bright student shouldn’t be held back because of the fact that another student isn’t brighter than him/her. In team sports players and teams shouldn’t even award players who didn’t earn the award. I say this because it takes away from the players who actually worked hard and earned their award. I believe that this hinders a child and teaches they to settle rather than it helping them.
3.The functions of the U.S Handicapper General is to level the playing field. Their job is to keep everybody as equal as possible. The threat that these agents combat is the threat of them taking the different unique qualities from the people away. The U.S turning into a dictatorship is the only way I can see something like this happening. Everybody is treated the same way, this is how radical mediocracy is achieved and enforced.
4.Vonnequt is trying to stress the everyman is equal policy but he has took it a little to for. When everyman is created equal was said it didn’t actually mean that people should be exactly alike. It just meant that no matter what race and economic status, everyone should be treated the same.
5.When it comes to the forms of commercial life wage- labor is the subject that jumps out at me first. If everybody is equal and treated equal does this means that at work everyone gets the same wage? What if a worker is move qualified then another worker, do they still get paid equally? If this is the case, then everybody is the same policy still wouldn’t be good for America. Yes, capitalist social forms will create movements. People don’t want to be the same as others in everyway. When social forms are made people are instantly outraged because, they think of it as their freedom being taken away. If people think that their freedom is involved in any way, a movement will be started almost automatically. By the words that I read in Vonnegut’s story, his theorys will never work in America. The America people don’t stand for things.
6.Roman Hruska’s thoughts are related to Vonnegut’s idea only by the fact that he felt people should be treated the same by the legal system. He feels that in court everyone should be treated equally no matter what.
7.They are just described as typically people, with a good education. They live a normal life and they are typically normal people. This story warns against people being unique and trying to have their own thoughts/ideas. Mass media only wants you to see what they allow you to see. It is all control by one main source and the TV only plays what is allowed to be played. Neil Postman is simply saying that this world is simply entertainment and it whats the people to follow and live off of the entertainment. He says that the world doesn’t allow us to do anything and this is only saying that they want the people of the world to try to live like the stars that they see on the big screen.