"wealthy landowners" is also a key phrase; they're the first (and for awhile, the only) people with a vote in democracies.

I'm not disagreeing that this is New Boss vs Old Boss. I'm disagreeing that Old Boss needs empowerment.

An interesting example is comparing Venice, CA to the "classic" gentrification: In Venice, most of the people responsible for the local culture (aka, why tech wants to be here) also own their homes; thus, as the property values rose dramatically, they benefitted. Contrast with "typical" gentrification, which just screws renters.

Hence why I'm on you about landowners versus "locals". There's a difference, and it's significant.