Let's just be open about where we are. OERs are coming. We don't know much about what's going to work and what isn't yet. Government and the public sector have a role. Individuals and informal networked communities have a role. Textbook companies and the private sector have a role too. We're all trying to improve students' opportunities to make their lives better.
When does a curriculum unfetter us, and when is it a set of handcuffs? When does a teacher unfetter us? When do our classmates unfetter us? A classroom, or a credit hour system, or an advising system? And so forth. These are very difficult questions indeed, and of course some oppressors believe most sincerely (it seems) that they're keeping handcuffs on for the inmates' own good-and of course Stockholm Syndrome means that sometimes people don't want to lose their fetters, so thoroughly do they identify with their captors.