Comparing Plato's Allegory Of The Cave And Harrison Bergeron

All through out history, we have had many situations that may have had good intentions but in reality would have bad consequences. Some people might think they are doing the right thing but in reality they might just be making the situation worse. For instance, we see it in Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave”, Vonnegut’s “Harrison Bergeron”, and today with “Vaping” also know as the use of an electronic cigarette.

In Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave”, Plato described a group of people that have lived their lives confined to a cave, tied to a pole making them face a wall. On this wall you could only see shadows of what was going on behind you, and from that they misperceived shadows from reality. One day, one of the inhabitants broke free and was able to leave the cave, only to be shocked by what “true reality” was outside of the cave and what was different from the shadows he saw on the cave wall. He was so excited that he wanted to go back into the cave and basically enlightened the other prisoners about what he saw,

thinking they would be as excited as him and that he was teaching them something. But, when he did this he overwhelmed the other guys and confused them so they got mad and called him stupid and basically shunned him. Although he thought he was doing something good, he actually made the situation worse.

Like in Plato’s’ piece, Kurt Vonnegut Jr’s “Harrison Bergeron”, there was a great example of a good intention that had a bad outcome.

The piece was set in 2081 and everyone was said to be equal. The government made people wear devices to make them equal to everyone else, for example if you were stronger than average you had to wear extra weights or if you were pretty you had to wear a mask like in this quote. “…They were burdened with sash weights and bags of birdshot, and their faces were masked, so that no one, seeing a free and graceful gesture or a pretty face would feel like something the cat drug in” (Vonnegut) Although people could not get a straight idea out before a mental handicap radio in their ear would buzz, it would be obviously whether or not a person was pretty or not depending on if the person is wearing a mask. Their attempt to make everyone equal could not be too affective, if everyone knew what each handicap device was to cover

up.
Today, to reduce the use of nicotine people have started smoking an electronic cigarette, or commonly known as a vape pen or an e-cig. Electronic cigarettes produce a lot less carcinogens than regular cigarettes, are cheaper than buying a pack of cigarettes each week, and the second hand smoke effects are far less. Not only are they somewhat healthier than your normal cigarette, they also do not put off the nasty smell of one either.
For every pro of E-cigs there are twice the amount of cons. Even though you are not smoking a cigarette, you would think that you weren’t getting any nicotine either- you are wrong. Nicotine is a very addictive drug that affects neurotransmitters in the brain. Some electronic cigarettes do not contain nicotine but most do. E- cigs are not FDA approved, yet, so they can still cause harm even besides the drugs you are inhaling into your lungs. On top of that, Studies have shown that the advertisements on TV, Newspapers, Radios, and even social media are seen more by the younger age Teenagers more than for who they are meant to -- the older adults seeking to quit smoking. Although the creators of E-cigs probably saw a great product and opportunity, I see it as more of a hazard even though it has some good pros.