Multiple American citizens consider the assassination of John F. Kennedy a decisive point in history that ruined democracy. Kennedy promoted “education, national security, and world peace,” which did not correspond to the interests of other influential bodies in the US during the Vietnam war (JFK Library, par. 4). Although the conspiracies about the tragic event might not be true, the historical event raises questions similar to those of “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut.
The case of President Kennedy is vague for several reasons. Namely, “30 years of government secrecy relating to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy led the American public to believe that the government had something to hide” (Federation of American Scientists, par. 1). This statement suggests that the democratic foundations of the country were shaken when its citizens were denied their right to know the truth.
Considering that the event was associated with governmental organizations’ involvement, such as the CIA, the case could be compared to Harrison Bergeron’s character. Vonnegut’s book narrates a dystopic “democratic” society where equality is enforced by the officials who commit murders in order to hide the information that the citizens of the country should not comprehend. As such, Harrison Bergeron is killed so that the officials can continue the maintenance of this regiment (Vonnegut). Other noises covered the murder; the conspiracies about Kennedy’s assassination are disproved primarily (Patterson). Yet the public’s concern was that the situation was the same as in “Harrison Bergeron.”
Thus, justice is supposed to be expressed in democratic countries by the honesty of its officials and citizens. In order to prevent a dystopian future for the nation, everyone must express caution about governmental actions in cases such as Kennedy’s assassination. If no one proclaims justice by honesty, the world will delve into the chasm of totalitarianism, silence, or inability to stand for one’s rights.
Works Cited
Federation of American Scientists. “Final Report of the Assassination Records Review Board, Chapter 1.” Federation of American Scientists, Web.
JFK Library. “November 22, 1963: Death of the President.” JFK Library, Web.
done in as little as 1 hour
Patterson, Thom CNN. “One JFK Conspiracy Theory That Could Be True.” CNN, 2018, Web.
Vonnegut, Kurt. “Harrison Bergeron.” The Nellens, Web.