A MERITOCRATIC EQUALITY
THE GREAT AUSTRALIAN FAIRTYALE by Kayvan Gharbi
U
Franc Carse Essay Prize Winner
pon initial consideration of Aristotle’s posit that ‘the worst form of inequality is to try to make unequal things equal,’ it would be the foreseeable response of the unwitting Australian reader to instinctively repudiate such as elitist dribble. As a nation that considers itself founded upon ideals of egalitarianism and ‘equality’, the casual reader could certainly misconstrue such a philosophy as at odds with our national values. However, the most amusing irony in this knee-jerk reaction is that it is rooted in a fundamental misunder-
standing of our nation’s identity and desires. Australian citizens are not and have never been ‘equal’ in any sense of the word - one should consider the essential question of not only what state of equality we truly desire, but of how such can be achieved. Vonnegut’s ‘Harrison Bergeron’ grossly hyperbolises the concept of a world in which equality reigns supreme, and depicts an oppressive dystopia where abilities are stifled, and talent is strictly regulated. The novel is the perfect illus-
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