I would interpret that claim as: "we may be practically useless, but we are still fucking high-status!" :D
The claim isn't just made with arguably useless disciplines, though. Many people argue (quite rightly, IMO) that programming doesn't just teach you to command machines to do your bidding, but also instils powerful thinking tools. So even if kids don't grow up to be software developers, it's still valuable for them to learn programming. Similar arguments could be made for law or finance.
If it's worth saying, but not worth its own post (even in Discussion), then it goes here.
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