“I’m not even talking about that ‘contempt for the masses’ that has always been with us in hierarchical societies in which social class is linked to money, sophistication and at least the veneer of education. Metaphor clusters tend to track with the dominant technology of the day, so what had previously been degraded as ‘animals’ not surprisingly came to be known as ‘mere machines’ as mechanical technology grew to become a more dominant force in the acquisition and wielding of wealth and power. “

— an anonymous informant