[inter_netuser]

the powerful write the rules. always has been the case.

do you know of any societies that managed to sustain a dynamic where that's not the case?

I literally cannot think of any at all. Just some very brief temporary aberrations.

[esarbe]

Well, yes. Might makes right, no question there.

The question is how far the powerful are willing to push the system in order to maintain their relative status (relative to each other, not to 'us') and how much the disenfranchised are willing to take.

If the powerful are careless, an angry mob will spice up the game. But of course that's just opportunity for other powerful entities to advance their relative status.

[avianlyric]

Saying “the powerful write the rules” is pretty much tautological.

Of course the powerful write the rules. Most people access an individuals power based on their ability to make and break rules.