In the ancient caste systems (which were not exclusive to India), the merchant class always came third, after the priestly class and the warrior class. The merchant class had its place but was not considered fit to rule. The revolutions of the modern era undid this sacred order and brought to power the money worshipers. The cultural consequences did not show themselves immediately because the legacy of the pre-democratic age and its aristocratic standards briefly outlived the demolition of the social hierarchy that produced it. Those consequences are now fully manifest and we are surrounded by the monstrosities that proliferate when money overtakes nobility.