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Black Mirror, By Suzanne Collins, And Harrison Bergeron Essay

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Technology has made numerous positive contributions to society in a very short period of time. Although, it also has a way to be intrusive and frightening. Three in class stories that display the fictional victimization of lower status people through technology are: “Repent, Harlequin!” said the Ticktockman by Harlan Ellison, Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, and Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. A Netflix series and British television program called Black Mirror by Charlie Brooker also expresses many of the same recurring themes of technological based exploitation in Episode 2 ‘Fifteen Million Merits’. There are multiple overlapping themes between these four pieces of work and today’s society.
The description of Black Mirror episode 2: ‘Fifteen Million Merits’ is “In the near future, everyone is confined to a life of strange physical drudgery. The only way to escape is to enter the 'Hot Shot ' talent show and pray you can impress the judges.” Each member of this fictional world must earn points by watching forced programming such as the reality show ‘Hot Shot’, and riding a stationary bike that powers this technology based world. The points pay for food, personal hygiene products, and different applications and channels that they can play on the screens throughout the building and cells they are confined to. However, some of the programs force you to watch. One example is a pornographic program called “Wraith Babes” that will demerit points if you do not allow it to

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