History Literature / HarrisonBergeron

* {{Deconstruction}}: This is a United States where everyone is equal. A little ''too'' equal. Everyone is equal to the lowest common denominator, with Mrs. Bergeron being easily forgetful, slow, and all around pretty weak, while her husband is forced to have handicaps like headphones that play loud noises to disrupt his train of thought, and glasses that give him terrible headaches while forcing his vision to be blurry. And although the society is supposedly run by the people, in practice Handicapper General Diana Moon Glompers (and in the film [[PeoplesRepublicOfTyranny an entire secret organization of extraordinary people]]) run everything, because unintelligent people can’t be expected to cope with all the intricacies of government and society.

* DystopianEdict: Everyone must be equal. This is enforced by handicapping them through having the strong carry weights, the smart having throught-interrupting devices and death where they rebel against this.

* AdaptationExpansion: One scene from an earlier novel into a short story, then the short story into a movie.

* DystopianEdict: Everyone must be equal.

** The movie averts this, as he’s an A+ student who rattles off trivia effortlessly.

* PeoplesRepublicOfTyranny: America becomes this under Handicapper General Diana’s rule. Everyone is equal, but no one outside the elite is free.

* SomeoneToRememberHimBy: In the film, [[spoiler:Phillipa turns out to be pregnant with her and Harrison's child. We later see him illegally watching the videos which Harrison broadcasted with a friend]].

"[[CharacterTitle Harrison Bergeron]]" is a dystopian sci-fi short story by Creator/KurtVonnegut, first published in October 1961. It is usually seen as a darkly satirical critique of forced egalitarianism, but it can also be interpreted as a StealthParody of the above, since ''both'' the forced egalitarianism ''and'' the {{Ubermensch}} who fights against it are depicted as completely over-the-top.

* PoliticalCorrectnessGoneMad: The driving force of the work. Everyone is equal because everyone is forcibly made equal through technology that cripples anyone who is better than anyone else.

* SmallParentHugeChild: It is mentioned that the titular character is ''seven'' feet tall at 14, clearly much taller than both of his parents.

* TheNeedsOfTheMany: Administrator Klaxon in the film claims handicapping is best for all, arguing the world's destructive conflicts in the past were caused by greed. He admits it's hard and sad, but nonetheless claims he'd shoot Beethoven himself if it meant things such as World War One never occurred again.

* InfoDump: A surprise class quiz is used in the film to explain just how the US got to be the dystopian nightmare it's become, by the teacher asking questions of her students and them providing answers.

* AdaptationalHeroism: In the original short story, Harrison was a ParodySue and the story was ambiguous as to whether he was in the right. However, the movie and ''2081'' are unquestionably on Harrison’s side.

* {{Deconstruction}}: This is a United States where everyone is equal. A little ''too'' equal. Everyone is equal to the lowest common denominator, with Mrs. Bergeron being easily forgetful, slow, and all around pretty weak, while her husband is forced to have handicaps like headphones that play loud noises to disrupt his train of thought, and glasses that give him terrible headaches while forcing his vision to be blurry. And although the society is supposedly run by the people, in practice General Diana and [[PeoplesRepublicOfTyranny her secret organization of extraordinary people run everything]], because unintelligent people can’t be expected to cope with all the intricacies of government and society.

* FullCircleRevolution: During the Great Recession, the people rebelled out of unsatisfaction for the state of America. They succeeded, only to end up even less free than before, since now anyone deemed to be unequal (i.e. not handicapped in some way) is artificially crippled with technology to make them equal to everyone else.
* GeniusBruiser: Harrison, supposedly.

* InformedAbility: Harrison is supposed to be a genius. But what he actually ''does'' isn't smart at all: he breaks into a TV studio, declares himself to be Emperor, picks a dancer to be his empress and dances with her [[spoiler:until the Handicapper General arrives and shoots them both]]. Though the psychological damage of imprisonment could have had an impact, and Harrison is supposed to be a ParodySue.

* PeoplesRepublicOfTyranny: America becomes this under General Diana’s rule. Everyone is equal, but no one outside the elite is free.

* LaResistance: Harrison becomes a one-man version of this, attempting to inform people through a [[DoNotAdjustYourSet television broadcast]] that equality should not be forced upon everyone. Less idealistically, the society came about after an uprising during the Great Recession.

* TheSocialDarwinist: Inverted- the government arranges marriages in order to make it more likely for people to have average children, and praises the hell out of being average. Essentially, they maintain a society in which the weak rule over the strong.
* StealthParody: In certain circles, the book has been interpreted as a grossly over-the-top satire of ''Literature/{{Anthem}}'' and similar collectivist dystopias (and the individualist heroes that transcend them), or of Cold War-era American conceptions of egalitarian social goals. Used to support this is the argument that the society depicted in the story is a straw {{Dystopia}} based on flagrant misunderstandings of the goals of socialism. Vonnegut himself is not known to have publicly taken this position; as both a socialist and a noted anti-authoritarian, however, his politics could support either interpretation.

* TechnologyLevels: The movie version.

* WellIntentionedExtremist: Administrator Klaxon genuinely wants a society of equality- he also believes that the best way to accomplish this is to use technology to artificially handicap people until everyone is equally crippled.

* {{Deconstruction}}: This is a United States where everyone is equal. A little ''too'' equal. Everyone is equal to the lowest common denominator, with Mrs. Bergeron being easily forgetful, slow, and all around pretty weak, while her husband is forced to have handicaps like headphones that play loud noises to disrupt his train of thought, and glasses that give him terrible headaches while forcing his vision to be blurry. And although the society is supposedly run by the people, in practice General Diana and [[PeoplesRepublicOfTyranny her secret organization of extraordinary people run everything]], because [[RealityEnsues unintelligent people can’t be expected to cope with all the intricacies of government and society]].

* WorldOfCardboardSpeech: Harrison, before he finally takes off his handicaps.

* BigBad: Diana Moon Glampers is the Handicapper General who controls America’s new society of forced equality, wherein anyone who is better than anyone else in any way is handicapped by her soldiers.

* BoomerangBigot: Diana despises extraordinary people and orders them all to have their abilities removed. She herself has to be extraordinary in order to run her society, and the simple fat free that she is effectively the supreme leader gives her unchecked power, making her unequal to everyone else.

* TheDragon: Klaxon is presumably this to Diana. She never actually appears, but he runs the organization of extraordinary people in her stead.

* CharacterTitle

There is also a 1995 made-for-TV movie based on the story, starring Sean Astin as Harrison. The movie follows his childhood and the consequences of a love affair with an illegally handicap-free woman.

* TheBadGuyWins: [[spoiler:Diana kills Harrison and makes sure StatusQuoIsGod.]]
* BigBad: The Handicapper General, Diana Moon Glampers. Though, in the movie, Administrator John Klaxon is this, with Diana as a GreaterScopeVillain.
* BoomerangBigot: Diana, against extraordinary people; which she has to be in order to run her society.

* {{Deconstruction}}: This is a United States where everyone is equal. A little ''too'' equal. Everyone is equal to the lowest common denominator with Mrs. Bergeron being easily forgetful, slow, and all around pretty weak while her husband is forced to have handicaps like headphones that play loud noises to disrupt his train of thought and glasses that give him terrible headaches while forcing his vision to be blurry.
** And although the society is supposedly run by the people, in practice [[PeoplesRepublicOfTyranny Diana and her secret organization of extraordinary people run everything]] [[RealityEnsues because unintelligent people can’t be expected to cope with all the intricacies of government and society]].

* TheDragon: Klaxon to Diana.

* FullCircleRevolution: During the Great Recession, the people rebelled out of unsatisfaction for the state of America. They succeeded, only to end up even less free than before.

* IndividualityIsIllegal: Because everyone has to be equal, to be yourself means to be unequal.
* InformedAbility: Harrison is supposed to be a genius. But what he actually ''does'' isn't smart at all: he breaks into a TV studio, declares himself to be Emperor, picks a dancer to be his empress and dances with her [[spoiler:until the Handicapper General arrives and shoots them both.]] Though the psychological damage of imprisonment could have had an impact.

* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler:The Handicapper General kills Harrison and continues to be the leader.]]
* LookingBusy: In the short film adaptation ''2081'', Hazel washes dishes while her son Harrison stages on-screen revolution at a ballet. Clearly she's doing this so she doesn't have to watch his inevitable demise.
* ParodySue: Harrison, who "tore the straps of his handicap harness like wet tissue paper, tore straps guaranteed to support five thousand pounds."
* PeoplesRepublicOfTyranny: America becomes this under Diana’s rule. Everyone is equal, but no one outside the elite is free.
* PoliticalCorrectnessGoneMad: The driving force of the work.
* LaResistance: Harrison becomes a one-man version of this. Less idealistically, the society came about after an uprising during the Great Recession.

* ShootTheShaggyDog: [[spoiler:It turns out Harrison [[WhyDontYaJustShootHim isn't bulletproof]]. And the government inadvertently wipes his death from his parent's memories.]]
** [[spoiler:And everybody else's memories. However inadvertent, it's still a favorable outcome which the government would no doubt support.]]
* TheSocialDarwinist: Inverted. The government arranges marriages in order to make it more likely for people to have average children.
* StealthParody: In certain circles, the book has been interpreted as a grossly over-the-top satire of ''Literature/{{Anthem}}'' and similar collectivist dystopias (and the individualist heroes that transcend them), or of Cold War-era American conceptions of egalitarian social goals. Used to support this is the argument that the society depicted in the story is a [[MarySuetopia Straw Dystopia]] based on flagrant misunderstandings of the goals of socialism. Vonnegut himself is not known to have publicly taken this position; as both a socialist and a noted anti-authoritarian, however, his politics could support either interpretation.
* StepfordSmiler: Most of the civils.

* TallPoppySyndrome: Deconstructed. The "average" is extremely low as shown by Harrison's mother, most likely to how some people would be too hard to raise up and to make everyone "equal". It's easier to bring people down than it is to raise them.

* {{Thoughtcrime}}: Thinking is outlawed in these parts.

* YouCanSayThatAgain: At the end, where Hazel could tell that one was a doozy.