I do understand resentment towards some of the financial engineering that occurred in the past fifteen years, especially in areas of exotic securitization in which systemic risks were made opaque.
But that has very little to do with classical banking. To say they have little intrinsic worth is essentially to claim that the industry that governs the allocation of credit in our economy -- that is, the credit line that finances my business's inventory and receivables, the loan that finances my new production equipment, the reasonable mortgage extended so a homeowner can buy a house, along with a substantial downpayment -- is of little use. That's an absurd position, and I don't know how one can reasonably claim that such an important function in our economy is not a respectable profession. My own company, which employs over 100 people, would immediately shut down without bank financing.
Are you confusing the practices of exotic finance, which arguably have a lesser or questionable value to society, with traditional banking?