I think this story provides a considerably gloomy outlook for our future in which socialism has become a common element in American culture. In this story, competition becomes outlawed and everyone is purposefully handicapped in order to ensure complete equality. It is a scary revelation of what could happen in the future if we allow the government to take complete control of our lives. This story presents the future in a different light than that of past socialistic cultures as the development of technologies coerce people closer to the cause of equality. The main characters George and Hazel Bergeron are punished for their ability to critically think, therefore the government uses preventive measures to clear their thoughts using a buzzing sound that activates anytime they conduct a thought process that is negative to equality.
Many people today would probably argue that something like this could never happen in our culture, however, in many ways it has happened. Our media now practically decides our presidential candidates with little to no argument from outsiders. When an argument does arise from an outsider it is dismissed as lunacy, much the same way that Diana Moon Glampers, the Handicapper General repressed Harrison's message by assassinating him and his "empress." Stories like these should not be taken lightly, they reveal the human nature of conformity and address the need of taking everything you see and hear with a degree of uncertainty.
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