Government Involvement In Harrison Bergeron

One of the major themes in the short story ‘Harrison Bergeron’, is government control and involvement. The story revolves around equality in people, and how the government enforces this. If someone possesses a unique trait or quality, the government issues handicaps, to reduce one’s individuality and make them average. In this short story, the government controls the appearance, ideas, and thoughts of each person. Although it is not as extreme today, I personally think the government has a major part in our daily lives. We experience their control majorly through media and decision making (laws). Most of the news coverage and broadcasts we receive are altered, giving the people in charge authority over what the public knows and believes. For

example; certain news programs conceal dangerous events going on around the world so that other nations would feel safer, and at a lower risk of attack. On the other hand, the government also controls all of the laws and decisions being made. They have the authority to alter the way the public behave, by preventing and allowing specific acts. For example, driving under the influence of alcohol leads to many accidents, which is why it is illegal. The people in charge wanted to reduce the risk on roads, so they controlled a major factor. In conclusion, although our society is not as extreme as ‘Harrison Bergeron’, the government is still prominent and predominant in our world.