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April 13, 2007
Vonnegut on "Equality"
Don Boudreaux
My favorite of all the works of the late Kurt Vonnegut that I've read is his 1961 short story "Harrison Bergeron." It's a gruesome tale of government-enforced "equality" of outcomes.
Posted by Don Boudreaux in Nanny State | Permalink
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Comments
This is one of my favorite short stories ever. Thanks for posting it.
Posted by: Chris O'Leary | Apr 13, 2007 11:02:26 AM
The movie is actually much better than the story on which it is based.
Posted by: Patrick R. Sullivan | Apr 13, 2007 11:22:47 AM
And, of course, there is Rush's "The Trees" which picks up the same theme:
http://www.lyricscafe.com/r/rush/036.htm
Posted by: Steve Horwitz | Apr 13, 2007 11:45:50 AM
So it goes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atABhlMLYvU
Posted by: Storey | Apr 13, 2007 2:17:14 PM
Vonnegut was an avowed socialist who admired the practical implications of Marxian economics and heavily advocated welfare-state style redistribution. This story is far subtler than a critique of leveling. I believe Vonnegut's intention is to remove a couple arrows from the quivers of redistribution's critics.
Posted by: Ed Lopez | Apr 13, 2007 2:32:40 PM
Vonnegut was amazing. Read "So It Goes" here: http://www.unboundedition.com/
Posted by: karen | Apr 13, 2007 2:49:22 PM
Equality is not the same as equality. There are democratic forms of equality. Strict forms. Moderate forms. And so on.
And there is strict inequality and strict injustice - which make real liberalism impossible.
So - the truth is in the middle.
Posted by: Dr.Dean | Apr 13, 2007 3:04:42 PM
In my youth, Vonnegut was one of those writers whom I felt that I "had" to read in order to qualify as well read.
But of course his writing would just drag, and I never got very far in any of his work.
Personally I liken his work to pop music. Very few people really like it all that much. Thus, a majority of Vonnegut sold sits pretentiously undisturbed on so many book shelves.
Posted by: Ray G | Apr 13, 2007 7:05:03 PM
Ray G, I agree. I really don't know why he is famous. Of course, this short story is very insightful.
Posted by: Rex Pjesky | Apr 13, 2007 10:22:05 PM
Follow up: Could his popularity (given Ray G's hypothesis that many people claim to like him that really do) be a case of a thrid degree network externality?
Posted by: Rex Pjesky | Apr 13, 2007 10:23:27 PM
I should have said "...that many more people claim to like him that really do)
I also should have spelled "third" correctly.
Posted by: Rex Pjesky | Apr 13, 2007 10:26:32 PM
Very nice blog, good work.
Posted by: oyun 77 | Apr 16, 2007 7:47:15 AM
I elaborate on my above remarks here: http://divisionoflabour.com/archives/003714.php
Posted by: Ed Lopez | Apr 16, 2007 5:12:05 PM
Good blog
I hope everybody read this article.
thanks for informations.
Posted by: oyunlar | Apr 25, 2007 11:45:33 AM
Posted by: laptop battery | Oct 13, 2008 3:25:28 AM
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