Dear Dr. Eldritch,
I fear my race is on the brink of a slave revolt, and we need your help to prevent it!

As you are probably unfamiliar with my people (we inhabit a small planet in a different dimension from yours), let me describe our society. You would call our culture a plutocracy, ruled by a small set of wealthy landowners. The majority of the population are indentured servants who labor to support the ruling class. Wealth and property are handed down to successive generations, but it is rare for it to last in a family very long. For example, my grandfather was a slave. When the abusive and immoral behavior of the ruling class became intolerable, he and a few other visionaries incited a revolution. Slaves everywhere rose up, threw off their chains and defeated their oppressors. The wealthy who survived were stripped of their possessions and became slaves themselves. The leaders of the revolution were rewarded with the wealth and positions of their previous masters, making them the new ruling class. They treated their slaves, old and new, with kindness and respect. For a time, all was well.

Then my father's generation came into power, and they were not as benevolent. Becoming accustomed as children to the trappings of wealth, they had less sympathy for the slave class. The influence of their parents' lowly beginnings kept them from being wholly insensitive, but they showed little respect for the slaves who made possible their lives of comfort. Now, my generation fills the controlling positions of government and business. Born into wealth and privilege, my contemporaries take their status for granted, and treat those who labor for us like animals, without regard for their feelings or well-being. Fortunes are being squandered on lavish parties and debauchery as upper-class morality sinks lower and lower. Class tensions rise, but most wealthy people seem oblivious to it.

I fear each abuse strikes a spark near a powder keg, and it is only a matter of time before a class revolution erupts. I would be less concerned, if this exact three-generation cycle had not repeated itself with frightening regularity for several thousand of our years.

My governmental office has little real power, but I feel I must do what I can to prevent bloodshed. We have published pamphlets encouraging slave owners to treat their servants respectfully, but to no avail. So we're preparing a public-information campaign aimed toward the serving class, perhaps with a catchy slogan to help them understand their place in society and the importance of social order. What can we tell this generation of slaves that will keep them from revolting?

-- Shuntu, Minister of Slave Relations

Dear Minister Shuntu,
Spoken like a true bureau-ristocrat! Try "Just Say ‘No' to Violent Insurrection." When your slaves understand that they can merely decline to revolt, everything will be solved!

Wait; perhaps you don't appreciate sarcasm. I'll attempt to avoid being sardonic, and answer your query as best I can.

Like many people who write to me, you're seeking answers to the wrong questions. Rather than trying to make your slaves enjoy the horse they're riding, you should strive to get everyone off the merry-go-round. Unfortunately you've probably waited too long, and tons of the relentless snow of economic imbalance are about to become a thundering avalanche of social unrest and bury the peaceful sleeping village of the status quo. I find it ironic that you keep rebuilding the same village in the same spot, but I'm sure it looks good to those who get to move in first.

What you can do is sow the seeds of change, but in a better direction. You need a new social structure where everyone can get a slice of the pie (do you have pie where you are? You should try it. It's very good). A culture won't easily move away from being a slave-state, so a strong, charismatic leader must take charge post-coup and lead the way. A benevolent visionary, able to inspire across class lines, and devoted to the public good. And before you ask, I'm rather busy, so no, it can't be me. Perhaps you should volunteer. That's probably not at all what you were thinking, but often the best leaders are those who didn't want the job.

I could give you advice on political/economic models, but you'll get more acceptance if you figure one out for yourselves. I will suggest that when you document the boundaries of governmental powers and the rights of the individual, be very clear about what you intend. You'll save a lot of headaches down the line.

Good luck, and let me know how it comes out!

-- Dr. Eldritch