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Essay / Decisions Made Alone Manifest Injustice - 751
In “Gentlemen, Your Verdict” by Michael Bruce and “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut, the decisions that determined the lives of many people were made by one person . Lieutenant Commander Oram and the Handicapper General illustrate that the decisions made by an individual affect the lives of others and lead to injustice. First and foremost, even if Oram is seen as righteous in his own eyes, not everyone will see the world the way he does. , even if this is true, they have no say in a decision that will result in their demise. This is known because Oram says, “none of the others had the slightest idea what I intended to do” (Bruce 2). This is important above all else because it shows that Oram made a decision on his own that broke the law collectively established by humanity and represents justice. This shows, despite the good intentions of any individual, that much power in the hands of an individual corrupts and further leads to unjust decisions and actions. So much power in the hands of one individual is corrupting in the sense that even though Oram was trying to make the right decision, he made the wrong one because his personal beliefs were interfering when he should have just followed the agreed upon procedure. This in turn violates the ideals, values, and rights of the many people on whom the decisions are imposed. This is why our society creates laws and rules together, not from individual ideals and self-righteousness. They create laws and rules together so that everyone is treated equally and is not subject to someone's morals and whims. This also goes along with my next example when Oram says, “I made sure that men with families would survive” (Bruce 2). This especially shows that Oram uses his own values, disregarding middle of paper......but not a single person, as the citizens decided at the end of the story, but the disabled general couldn't see it. This coincides with the idea that decisions made by individuals that affect the lives of others are unjust, because if the Handicapper General had not acted alone, they could have achieved what society believed in and desired. This also relates to the thesis because it shows that when the Handicapper General acts alone it causes her to act blindly and she shoots Harrison Bergeron even though society sees him as the hope for a better future because they collectively view his ideas and beliefs as right. Commander Oram and General Handicapper illustrate how unjust decisions one person makes that affect the lives of many people are. Decisions made by individuals lead to injustice because justice comes from the collective morals, beliefs, ideals and values of society..