geron," Vonnegut portrays a world in which communism is the prevalent and socially accepted form of government in the United States. Although the word communism was never actually used to describe the society, that was how it functioned.
             "The year was 2081, and everyone was finally equal. They weren't only equal before God and the law. They were equal every which way." (Charters, 1332)
             Thus the story begins. Everyone was made to be equal, so as to eliminate envy and hatred. Competition in any form is considered to be the greatest of all sins. There was no more individual thought, which had been removed completely by the measures taken to ensure equality. Laws have been passed in an attempt to make everyone equal in almost every way imaginable. Anyone who is born with an advantage over others such as greater strength or intelligence is not allowed to benefit from those advantages. They are handicapped sufficiently by the agents of the United States Handicapper General to the point where they are the same as everyone else. The physically strong are restrained by weights. The beautiful are made to wear ugly masks to hide their faces. Even the smart are handicapped. They are required by law to wear in their ears little radios tuned in to a government transmitter which sends out a sharp noise every twenty seconds or so. This is done so that the wearer of the radio can only think in short bursts of twenty seconds or so, and cannot take "unfair advantage of their brains." (1332) In this way, the United States Handicapper General ensures that everyone is equal.
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