THE YEAR WAS 2081, and everybody was finally equal. They weren’t only equal before God and the law. They were equal every which way. Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else. All this equality was due to the 211th, 212th, and 213th Amendments to the Constitution, and to the unceasing vigilance of agents of the United States Handicapper General.
“Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut
There is a huge difference between equality of opportunity and equality of outcome. While the first one is something to strive for, the second one leads straight into a dystopian nightmare — beautifully exemplified by Kurt Vonnegut’s “Harrison Bergeron”.
The movie version (“2081”, Wikipedia) really nails it (and yeah, don’t expect to be cheerful afterwards):
Highly recommended in a world in which some people care a bit too much and confuse equality of opportunity with equality of outcome.
