Yeah, I lost a bit of respect for Stross' intelligence when I read that part about elite panic. Stross also doesn't seem to understand that just because a person prepares for the possibility that the masses might become violent doesn't mean that the person necessarily thinks that outcome to be the most likely one - it's just better to be safe than sorry.

>The elite are fine in a disaster and they know it.

Only if the disaster is relatively manageable. History has many examples of elites being killed during political upheaval.