which way." In fact, the government has passed new Amendments to enforce this "equality." In order to make everyone--actually, force everyone--to be the same as the others. And, by ensuring that "nobody was better looking than anybody else," the pretty ballerinas who appear on television are made to wear masks.  They are also "burdened with sash weights and bags of birdshot" so that they are unable to jump or dance better than anyone else in the group.

When the news announcer tries to say, "Ladies and gentlemen," he is so inarticulate that he is compelled to had the bulletin to a ballerina to read.  When she reads, her voice is so polished that she feels compelled to apologize for it, "which was a very unfair voice for a woman to use.  Finally, she is able to make her voice "uncompetitive."

This dystopia in which everyone is supposedly made equal instead punishes the superior and values the mediocre.  The individual civil rights of those who are more intelligent, more athletic, more articulate, and more artistic have been sacrificed to the common "equality" of all as they are burdened with handicaps and even prison if they disobey.

As you examine the similarities between the society in "Harrison Bergeron" and our society, you might examine how some people in our society mistakenly believe that "sameness" is the same as equality, which is a belief that has gotten Harrison Bergeron's society off track.

Have you ever heard classmates complaining that some students (those with learning difficulties, for example) are given accommodations in class that others don't receive (having their tests read aloud, being allowed to use a calculator, etc.)? These people erroneously perceive that treating everyone the same is fair. In reality, those students need additional supports due to their differences, and those supports afford an opportunity for them to have an equal chance for educational success. Treating everyone the same doesn't always lead to equality.

You might also consider the implications of technology that are present in Harrison Bergeron's society. The government controls what people are allowed to think by "scattering ... thoughts" of independent thinking using "ear radios." While our society doesn't force people to wear such a device, it is a common sight to see people walking around in public with "ear radios" connecting them to their phones. What is the future for our growing dependence on constant technological input? You might also consider that there is a growing presence of "fact checkers" online who have an increasingly visible presence in filtering information that individuals receive. Does this constitute a reduction in independent thought?

A dystopian society is generally presented as a society with an invasive governmental presence. Citizens are deprived of their own freedoms in order to serve the government's purposes. There is also pervasive propaganda that serves the government's aims to control its citizens. Individuals are seen as a threat, and assimilating into the expectations of society is required. (This is especially important in the short story. Consider what happens to Harrison Bergeron when he asserts his own sense of independence.) The government of a dystopian society also hides secrets so that corruption is concealed while citizens are expected to maintain a pretense that their world is good—and even idealistic. You might use some of these qualities as you analyze the potentially dystopian nature of this society.