They are sore afraid.
They sense their world; social, hierarchical and cultural, is crumbling around them--or they have convinced themselves as much. They are desperate, and they are ruthless. They grasp their hegemony is vulnerable, their philosophy questioned and their moral, spiritual and intellectual bases discredited and exposed for the vulgar farce they are.
They will stop at nothing to ensure their survival, and to recover their supremacy. And if they can't do that, they are more than willing to pull us all down to ruin with them merely to justify their past legitimacy. The last few years have shown us what they are capable of, and what they are willing to do when they feel threatened.
We have our work cut out for us.