This attitude is not restricted to the workers at the leaves of the tree, either. Many execs view middle managers as just "slowing things down", or being a sort of "deep state" that gets in the way of executive fiat:

Or the Japanese version

Ah, now here come the "this time it's different" predictions. Right on schedule.

This was published in Mad Magazine in the late 60s. I remember reading it when I was a kid. I didn't understand it then; I couldn't believe people could be so stupid.

The Little Worm Boy

Saddenz, just short of that