Evaluating Vonnegut Quote

Using examples from “Harrison Bergeron”, “The Euphio Question” and current events evaluate the statement:

“Do you know what a Luddite is? That’s a person who doesn’t like newfangled contraptions. Contraptions like nuclear submarines armed with Poseidon missiles that have H-bombs in their warheads, and like computers that cheat you out of becoming. Bill Gates says, “Wait till you can see what your computer can become.” But it’s you who should be doing the becoming. What you can become is the miracle you were born to work—not the damn fool computer.”

- Kurt Vonnegut

I think I actually do agree with Kurt Vonnegut in a way but not completely. It is true that there are disadvantages of technology but there also are advantages. Kurt Vonnegut always focus on how technology. In stories such as "Harrison Bergeron" and "The Euphio Question" deals with how technology, which was supposed to help us, and live comfortably without having to spend a lot of time or a lot of energy, ends up making us, the human beings, "less-human".

In "Harrison Bergeron", the people are made to be all "equal" by machinery and technology but in Kurt Vonnegut's point of view, people are made like machines, which do not have free will and difference. The main character Harrison, son of George and Hazel, is one of the people who realized that the "equality" that human beings had wanted for a long time and finally achieved, is not really what they wanted; people being forced to become dumb like anybody else, naturally beautiful or talented people covered up heavily with machinery for being "selfish". And when these people with enlightenment try to tell the world that there is a flaw in the law, they are punished or shot at.

In the story "The Euphio Questions" is about a discovery of high technology that was bought by a salesman and used in a wrong way. Fred, the scientist, discovered something amazing but also monstrous. The radio wave found in the faraway space has an ability to make people go mad but happy like when they are taking tons of drugs. the main character and the scientist descided that this discover should not be revealed for the sake of the entier world. However, not understanding the seriousness of the problem , a man who was trying to sell the discovery to people, ends up having the acess to the radio wave.

I think that both the stories show that too much of anything, even technolgy, could end up harming what you already have.

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