Disparity Of Wealth In Jamie Johnson's Film, The One Percent

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Recommended: Marx’s conflict perspective on social classes

The One Percent is a documentary directed and produced by Jamie Johnson, heir to the Johnson & Johnson fortune. The One Percent - as the title implies - focuses on income disparity between the rich and poor in the United States. In this documentary, he proves that tiny percentage of Americans who control nearly half the wealth of the United States. "I'm a lucky guy ... we're part of a small number of American families that own most of the country's wealth. But, having so much in the hands of so few can't be good for America." Jamie Johnson says in his film, The one percent. His documentary apparently attempts to demonstrate the viewer the disparity of wealth between the poor and the richest 1% of America and the ramifications it has on society. The message from this documentary can be explained using Karl Marx’s Conflict Theory. Conflict theory states that tensions and conflicts arise when resources, status, and power are unevenly distributed between groups in society and that these conflicts become the engine for social change. The theory is focused on the conflict between two primary classes. The bourgeoisie represents the members of society who hold the …show more content…

Johnson captures his story through personal interviews with Robert Reich, Adnan Khashoggi, Bill Gates Sr., and Steve Forbes, during which both Johnson's and his subjects' knowledge and humor shine. Moreover, he is not afraid to discuss with Milton Friedman, the Nobel Prize winner economist who coined the term "the trickledown effect." He also shows how the other half lives, using real-world examples of the wealth gap: he takes a tour of a dilapidated housing project in Chicago, ride around with an enlightened taxi driver, and sees the human toll of the unfair economics of the Florida sugar industry. Johnson's film is at its most powerful when it reveals how the super-rich work to preserve their own monetary

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