Schlossberg 1

Ryan Schlossberg
Mr. Turley
Honors English 1
25 May 2016
Which is more important, the individual or the society?
This essay was written with a handicap. It was written in a society that believes in
collectivism and total equality, similar to that portrayed in Harrison Bergeron. Before the US
Handicapper General pays a visit in an attempt to enforce the rules of equality in this civilization,
one could consider that individualism is a better idea than the current collectivism society. As
described in an article by The Objective Standard, Individualism is the idea that the individuals
life belongs to him and that he has an inalienable right to live it as he sees fit, to act on his own
judgment, to keep and use the product of his effort, and to pursue the values of his choosing.
Collectivism, however as the article states, is different in that an individuals life belongs not to
him but to the group or society of which he is merely a part, that he has no rights, and that he
must sacrifice his values and goals for the groups greater good(Biddle). Considering what
these two different concepts promote, it seems that individualism provides a better society with
happier and more productive people than a civilization based on collectivism.
Individualism focuses more on individuals needs and happiness and is more likely to
encourage people to introduce improvements to a society than in a collective environment. As
portrayed in Harrison Bergeron, people in a collective community are forced to be equal, not
allowed to act as free thinkers, and are not supposed to use their skills and talents to think outside
the box. An example of this concept from the story is how George was very smart; however, he

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was forced to wear a handicap radio that did not allow him to use his brain because it was an
unfair advantage. If Steve Jobs, Bill Gates or the person who eventually cures cancer was
forced to be equal to everyone else and not allowed to shine as an individual, they would not
have been successful. Steve Jobs may only amount to a fruit salesman (maybe even selling
apples) while Bill Gates, who didnt graduate college, might have been far less of a contributor
as a window cleaner. How many technological advancements would be lost if people could not
develop their skills and talents and pursue their passion for inventing because of the rules of
fairness present in a completely equal society. The world would be missing many of the items
that help its citizens to more easily manage their lives and maintain power over their time and
property.
Regarding property, individualism, unlike collectivism, allows people to own and control
their private property. Further, it pushes people to want to work harder to own more property
while providing the ability to choose if they want to sell and buy their belongings. In a collective
community, people do not own what they produce and the government can take control and
decide their definitions of equality. This situation allows others who dont work as hard to benefit
from an individuals efforts unfairly. An example of this was shown in Animal Farm when the
pigs decided that they were taking the hens eggs without any form of payment or benefit directly
for the hens hard work (Orwell, 76). The pigs in this case are the government while the hen
citizens were very unhappy with this sacrifice and would rather destroy their eggs than hand over
their property. This is evidence that collectivism makes the people in a society miserable as there
is no control or joy of ownership of the fruits of labor.
Despite the evidence against collectivism, many people believe that such a society is better
and fairer than individualism, but they fail to see that the end result of a collective community

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will result in the same unfair outcome historically seen in communist countries. Examples of
collective communities include the Soviet Union which has fallen and the current depressive
state of North Korea. In North Korea people are not allowed to think freely. The citizens are
under strict rule that all their efforts are not for their own individual benefit but for that of their
supreme leader. Those who believe in collectivism think that the citizens must endure sacrifices
for the common good. President Obama stated that Individual actions, individual dreams, are
not sufficient. We must unite in collective action, build collective institutions and organizations
(Biddle). Although it sounds like a good idea, collectivism ultimately fails to be a stronger
argument given the inevitable downfall of all past collective type societies. The USSR exists no
more and eventually North Korea will see the light. Ultimately people are less satisfied in
collective environments, taxed more and deprived of their inalienable rights. Finally, people who
work hard are forced to cover for people who want to benefit unfairly. In Animal Farm, the pigs
were sleeping in the house while the animals worked hard, starved, and suffered. Eventually they
fought back after realizing that a collectivism based world was unfair.
In conclusion, individualism provides a better society with happier and more productive
people than a civilization based on collectivism. A focus on happy and satisfied individuals will
amount to more enjoyment than a world of total equality for everyone. It is important that
citizens do not allow their society to become the same as the dull and boring one portrayed in
Harrison Bergeron. Society cannot let the pigs take over and take property and rights and allow
some to be more equal than others. People should celebrate exceptional abilities and encourage
hard work and the principals installed by the founding fathers of life, liberty and the pursuit of
happiness, which, by the way, originally stated the pursuit of property. Under both societies the
basic rights of people can be provided, but keep the US Handicapper General away from society.

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Instead, by embracing individualism, we should listen to the wise words of Old Major who
declared the produce of our labor would be our own. Almost overnight we could become rich
and free (Orwell, 9).

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Works cited
Biddle, Craig. "Individualism vs. Collectivism: Our Future, Our Choice" The Objective
Standard. The Objective Standard, n.d. Web. 21 May 2016.
<https://www.theobjectivestandard.com/issues/2012-spring/individualism-collectivism/>
Hamilton, Carol V. "Why Did Jefferson Change "property" to the "pursuit of Happiness"?"
History News Network. History News Network, n. D Web. 22 May 2016.
< http://historynewsnetwork.org/article/46460>
Orwell, George. Animal Farm. New York: Harcourt, Brace, 1954. Print.
Vonnegut, Kurt, Jr. Harrison Bergeron. Jersey City, NJ: Magazine of Fantasy and Science
Fiction, 1961. Mercury Press, INC. Web. 20 May 2016.
<http://www.tnellen.com/cybereng/harrison.html>.