Spread the Wealth!!!

Since being a sociology major at E.U.P., I have considered myself to be a Symbolic Interactionist. However, I think the older I get and the longer life has to kick the mess out of me...I think I'm starting to lean to a Conflict Theorist sociological perspective on the world. I think there can be a good argument made especially during our present economic conditions for the scarcity of resources and different groups competing for them. Primarily the resource of "wealth", although I am sure the executives at A.I.G. would have a different opinion.

Last October I was traveling to a conference with a friend to Kansas City. We spent the night half way in St. Louis at his uncles house. He told me that his uncle was pretty wealthy and that we would have a good time staying there. Needless to say, after gaining permission to come through the guarded gate, we entered the 28,000 sq.ft. mansion on the Mississippi River. In the mansion was 14 bedrooms, 18 bathrooms, 4 dining rooms, a foyer the size of my entire house, a movie theater, full size arcade game room...as well as a guest house, servants quarters, and a Lamborghini, Prowler, Mustang, and 4 Harley's in the garage. I had my own floor to stay on with my choice of bedroom, bathroom, and a personal servant to get me anything I might need. The mansion had a staff of 20...for the 3 people who lived there. Life was good.

However the good life that I got to enjoy that day was abruptly interrupted by the conference I was attending on "Meeting the needs of the less fortunate." According to C. Wright-Mills, this separation of classes is nothing new but has been evolving from the early years of the formation of our country. But within the last 30 years there has been an enormous spike in the socio-economic stratification of the country.

1. What sociological theory best addresses the current state of our socio-economic condition and how or why we got here?

2. How can the study of social sciences play a part in pulling the plane out of a nose dive...if you believe we're in a nose dive.

3. What work of science fiction do you think best portrays the present day realities of our society, and what could we learn from it's projection?