When Rod called us 'Million Dollar Morons', he showed the true envy that management have for the aircrew body, that they can not do without.
He and the subsequent incumbents dislike the reality that:
1) we are needed, because like it or not, planes do not currently fly themselves.
2) few, if any of the senior management could do our job, whereas many of the crew in CX could do their job very well, and it wouldn't take a 3 month conversion course.