Elites are still making all the decisions in the past and now. Actually I think this is a shift of elite thinking from a rounded "greek classics" education, and value of the foundations of civilization line of thinking, to everything has to pay it's way type of thinking.
The elephant in the North Korea shop is the obvious exception from that idea. Yes, he's "elite" in economic terms, but he was never, and will never, be part of the social and intellectual "elite" traditionally holding power.
