For those like me who, though not a pilot, enjoy watching Aircrash Investigation and similar programs, and finds the investigations and findings inspiring/sobering/educational as a software engineer, and like me weren't aware of the "Children of [the] Magenta" phrase, this article and audio piece [1] looks a good place to start. The phrase was used in a 1997 presentation - available publicly [2] - by American Airlines captain Warren Van Der Burgh, who said that (quoting the article's summary of his words): "The industry has turned pilots into “Children of the Magenta” who are too dependent on the guiding magenta-colored lines on their screens." He makes his case with some very funny lines, too. Quite the humorist: "I got stuff to worry about, don't I. Heads up stuff. It's probably not a good time to be typing." [3] immediately precedes his explanation of the phrase.
[1] http://99percentinvisible.org/episode/children-of-the-magent...