The Patrician’s dilemma¶

(Government and civic analogue)

Scenario: Unseen University Power & Light Co. faces increasing pressure from Department of Silent Stability to “see more” in the name of stability. Defensive measures begin to resemble surveillance. Competing interests emerge between security, civil trust, and political accountability.

Focus:

• Where defensive monitoring becomes intelligence gathering

• How legitimacy is preserved, or quietly eroded

• Who decides what is acceptable when no option is clean

Outcome: Leave with a shared understanding of boundaries, trade-offs, and the risks of silent overreach.

Stability can be defended without being explained. Trust cannot.