But what the residents of the City? Those who were severely inconvenienced at having such a meeting thrust upon them? They returned to a life as usual.

Now, there were no forced vacation days, or just plain days off without pay. Now, they need not worry about their children who had no school. Now, they need not worry about security checkpoints, traffic delays, fear.

And what did they fear? The unknown. When such world leaders had met in bigger cities, in capitals more used to high security measures, there had been riots, arsons, police brutality, protester destruction of property, injuries, death.

The seers, Tarot readers, Rune casters, Astrologers all came up with variations on the theme of “Tempest in a Teapot,” but nobody in the City listened. For Fear can sometimes be a kindly god, who whispers in your ear, “Stay at home, forget the world, keep close to your loved ones.”

So they did. So they did.

And today, they went on with life as usual. Or, almost usual. In the back of everyone’s mind was the question: “Why did we spend so much money to hire soldiers from all over the known world to line our streets for one man to march down the street carrying a sign that read ‘Down with Mayonnaise/Up with Hot Sauce!’”

[Edit: Check out Ali's "The Group of 20 and the Mythology of the Market"]