In “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas,” Ursula Le Guin describes a town called Omelas whose residents’ happiness depends upon the imprisonment of one child, who is kept in misery and confinement. They believe the child responsible for their happiness is miserable only because they believe themselves to be happy.

We are living through a period I call the 'Panic of the Patricians'. We, their clients, don't need them anymore, and they know it. They don't know what to do about their loss of legitimacy and authority now that we have our own tools to share information, educate ourselves, create agreements and form consensus, and engage in all aspects of our social and economic environment that once required their assistance and permission. How do you expect them to respond?