Egyptian scribes, the Oracles of Delphi, the Medieval Catholic Church and journalists and of today all seem to be treated kindly enough. The "intelligentsia" exists to serve the prevailing regime (they cannot exist without patrons). Sometimes those regimes last centuries. I would tend to agree, however, that hysteria among the intelligentsia is an indicator of the feelings of insecurity among their patrons. Hysteria probably sums up the last 5 years to my recollection.