How is progress propelled by fear in Harrison Bergeron?

Kurt Vonnegut's 'Harrison Bergeron' illuminates that progress is propelled by fear. The government's desire to exert and maintain absolute power over its citizens and 'restrict their freedoms' has led it to brainwash its citizens through advanced technology. Advanced technology seen through the "mental-handicap radio" and restrictions on the people like 'heavy weights and face masks' to maintain this power over the people. "The transmitter in the mental handicap radio would send out a sharp noise to keep the more intelligent people from taking advantage of their brains." In this quote irony is used as the more gifted and intelligent people of society are no longer gifted in their intelligence, as it now acts as a 'hindrance', rather than a benefit. The irony is that if you are gifted, then you are disadvantaged through a government that controls your intelligence. This concept of fear of freedom by the government has obviously lead them to disadvantaging the physically and mentally gifted to eliminate any threat to stop their power exertion over the people.

Progress is also propelled by fear, as the people in the society have a great fear of retribution for disobeying the fascist and controlling government laws. The progress seen through this fear is of obedience to the fascist laws. "Two years in prison and two thousand dollars fine for every lead ball I take out of this weight canvas bag. Is that really a good bargain?" In this quote, a rhetorical question is used to dramatise the ironic nature of the quote, because obviously the severe punishment that is described for removing the 'weight canvas handicap' is obviously not a good bargain. This fear of retribution by the people promotes this government manipulation and absolute power.

Progress is also propelled by fear, as the government's fear of the people having equality has made it set up 'laws' to essentially achieve 'equality' but by a tyrannical way. "Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else." In this quote triplication of the anaphora language technique is used to reinforce the ideas of supposed equality that is represented. This also helps to exaggerate how supposedly 'equal' the society really was. The language in this quote acts as very persuasive with the repetition of the 'Nobody' to ensure that the meaning of equality was understood. This notion of fear of 'true equality' by the people is seen very easily through the way that everybody in society has been 'made equal', but in the process has used Propaganda and manipulation to achieve it. This fear of 'true equality' has ended up having progress through creating oppression on the people.