What point was being made by the athenians pericles and aristotle when they used the words useless and beast

The correct answer is citizens who did not participate in Athens

The ancient Greeks were very discriminating of people who did not participate in public affairs and who were apolitical. The word idiot actually comes from this period where Idiot was a designation in Greece for someone who did not participate in politics or in public affairs. For them it was a great shame for any person who wished to remain apolitical.