<Tr> <Th> Publication date </Th> <Td> 1961 </Td> </Tr> <P> "Harrison Bergeron" is a satirical and dystopian science - fiction short story written by Kurt Vonnegut and first published in October 1961 . Originally published in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, the story was republished in the author's Welcome to the Monkey House collection in 1968 . </P> <P> In the year 2081, the 211th, 212th, and 213th amendments to the Constitution dictate that all Americans are fully equal and not allowed to be smarter, better - looking, or more physically able than anyone else . The Handicapper General's agents enforce the equality laws, forcing citizens to wear "handicaps": masks for those who are too beautiful, loud radios that disrupt thoughts inside the ears of intelligent people, and heavy weights for the strong or athletic . </P> <P> One April, 14 - year - old Harrison Bergeron, an intelligent and athletic teenager, is taken away from his parents, George and Hazel Bergeron, by the government . They are barely aware of the tragedy, as Hazel has "average" intelligence (a euphemism for stupidity), and George has a handicap radio installed by the government to regulate his above - average intelligence . </P>

What is the purpose of the handicapper general agents vigilance