Panic over Egypt’s current use of democratic protest stems not from some anti-democratic nature of their process, but from its inherent disregard for structural authority that undermines all institutionalized governance. Egypt represents not an exemplary case of meekly accepted structural inequality, but an exceptional case of dignified and rebellious humanity. The political shell-game has been turned on its head such that would-be elites are walking into a functional system that devalues institutionalized authority, legitimacy and sovereignty. States find Egypt’s new protest-driven democracy distasteful because it undermines the need for formal governance in general and states in particular.