I recall reading an American SF short story which I read in my early teens. It made quite an impression on me. It starred a couple, a man of high intelligence, who every ten minutes was subjected to a burst of painful static, and his wife, a beautiful woman who was forced to wear ugly clothing.

At the time I took it to be a satire of communism, given that it was written by an American during the Cold War era. Although now, I wonder given a world of savage inequalities if it wasn't in fact being prophetic.