I wandered into the men's clothing department of an upscale department store, the kind of store where the salesclerks all have sharp haircuts and perfectly tailored suits that are far nicer than anything YOU own, and, although they act very deferential, you know they're secretly watching to see which clothes you touch so they can have them burned later as a precaution against vermin.
— Dave Barry, "Skivvying Up The Profits"
Servants, waiters, and other such attendants tend to be humble and deferential — it's considered part of their job description. This trope is about the exceptions: servants who are proud, patronising, or snobbish, and who treat people with subtle contempt or even outright disdain. Sometimes their aloofness will be carefully restricted to people who occupy a lower position than them, or whom their employer doesn't care for — other times, it will extend to everyone, their employers included.
This behavior can have various causes and forms (not mutually exclusive):
- Reflected glory: They might gain power or prestige from their association with their oh-so-important employer (or at least, their employer's office or title). They may have a relatively high position within a hierarchy of servants, or may have been delegated some authority by their employers — and they get Drunk with Power. Just because they have to be a Sycophantic Servant to their employer, doesn't mean they can't turn around and be a petty tyrant to servants on the next step down. Even if they're just cleaning boots, the boots belong to someone important, and that's a closer association with power than many people can claim. Getting to sneer at people who have no access to their illustrious employer is a perk of the job.
- Flawed employers: If the servants are the ones who really run things — an Almighty Janitor, a Chessmaster Sidekick, or a Man Behind the Man — then they may take a dim view of whichever Upper-Class Twit thinks they're in charge. Servants are also in a better position than most to know the faults of their employer, who is often No Hero to His Valet. If servants are Loyal to the Position rather than the individual, they may be disdainful of any employer who is deemed to be disgracing their office.
- Offended sensibilities: Despite not actually being members of the elite themselves, servants may be just as fastidious (if not more so) about upholding "proper" etiquette, protocol, and aesthetics. People who get mud on the fine carpets, scratch the expensive woodwork, draw moustaches on the paintings, and use the wrong fork at dinner may prompt a clash of Slobs Versus Snobs, with the servants being the latter. This variety may be the most justified, as a lot of the failures of etiquette create more work for the servants—e.g. cleaning/repairing the carpet, woodwork, and paintings fall on their shoulders. Since servants aren't paid more for the extra work, it's a pure annoyance.
- Meeting expectations: Some "haughty" servants may actually just be playing a role since an appearance of stuffy perfectionism might make a place look classier and more exclusive. If employers, guests, and customers think it's a sign of high standards, they might expect haughtiness.
A haughty servant may choose to express their disdain by being a Servile Snarker or by employing Stealth Insults. (Note, though, that not all snarky or insulting servants are haughty — in fact, many are snarking at haughtiness.) Another way for haughty servants to express themselves is by becoming an Obstructive Bureaucrat and engaging in Bothering by the Book. Contrast with Apathetic Clerk, where the worker is apathetic to their job, as opposed to disdainful.
Examples:
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Advertising
- A series of UK ads for Kingsmill bread featured a stolidly working-class man who had somehow acquired a butler, who frequently raised an eyebrow at his employer's determination not to be "posh".
Anime & Manga
- In Moriarty the Patriot, the Moriarty family servants hold the adopted boys in contempt, unhappy that they have to serve those of even lower social standing.
Comic Books
- Depending on the Writer, Alfred Pennyworth's Servile Snarker tendencies may veer into this, especially if he's dealing with a new addition to the Wayne household.
Film
- Django Unchained: Calvin Candie's assholish head butler, Stephen, is a Boomerang Bigot and Bad Boss to the other butlers and maids in the house. He is also implied to have been subtly manipulating Candie himself.
- Downton Abbey: Arguably justified, as the king and queen are staying at Downton and a different caliber of service is required. Still, the royals' personal staff are extremely dismissive of the estate servants viewers have come to know over six seasons of the TV show, so it is somewhat heartwarming when they sneakily take control away from the stuck-up new arrivals.
- Parasite (2019): Moon-gwang is extremely offhand and suspicious of the Kims, though she has good reason to be, although she doesn't know that, and behaves like she owns the house. It all makes sense once the Kims learn that her husband is living in the basement to avoid debt collectors.
- Royal Rendezvous: Rory is the house manager of the Covington manor, and he's quite haughty and snobbish since he used to love the nobility back when he was an orphan. James even described him as a "dryshite", which seems to be a view popular among the people who knew him before, such as his Childhood Friend Saoirse who says he's now a snob who "lives in a castle" and has forgotten all about the working-class friends he had.
Literature
- Some appear in the works of P. G. Wodehouse.
- Of the Jeeves and Wooster duo, Bertie Wooster is often more casual about etiquette and proprieties than Jeeves, despite being an archetypal Upper-Class Twit. While Jeeves's disapproval of Bertie's choices never translates to disapproval of Bertie himself, and he always rallies around Bertie in the end, that doesn't mean he'll let his employer get away with lax standards. Of particular note are their periodic clashes about Bertie's fashion choices — Jeeves considers this a more Serious Business than Bertie does, and despite Bertie declaring more than once that he won't be pushed around by his valet, Jeeves always manages to quash any departures from correct gentlemen's attire.
Jeeves: The tie, if I might suggest it, sir, a little more tightly knotted. One aims at the perfect butterfly effect. If you will permit me—
Bertie: What do ties matter, Jeeves, at a time like this? Do you realise that Mr Little's domestic happiness is hanging in the scale?
Jeeves: [pained] There is no time, sir, at which ties do not matter. - Elsewhere in the Jeeves and Wooster stories, there are other, haughtier servants. Jeeves's uncle, Charlie Silversmith, is the butler at Deverill Hall and is noted for his intimidating, austere manner. The servant Bertie and others meet at Bingley's house in Much Obliged, Jeeves is also notably disdainful of his employer's visitors.
- In Wodehouse's Ukridge stories, the narrator (Corky) lives in an apartment building run by Bowles, a former butler to an earl. Bowles is always polite and respectful but still manages to project an air of dignified superiority leaving Corky in no doubt that he isn't approved of. Also featured are some haughty servants of Ukridge's rich aunt Julia, who make it clear that they're only letting rabble like Corky into the house under protest.
- Of the Jeeves and Wooster duo, Bertie Wooster is often more casual about etiquette and proprieties than Jeeves, despite being an archetypal Upper-Class Twit. While Jeeves's disapproval of Bertie's choices never translates to disapproval of Bertie himself, and he always rallies around Bertie in the end, that doesn't mean he'll let his employer get away with lax standards. Of particular note are their periodic clashes about Bertie's fashion choices — Jeeves considers this a more Serious Business than Bertie does, and despite Bertie declaring more than once that he won't be pushed around by his valet, Jeeves always manages to quash any departures from correct gentlemen's attire.
- In Rebecca, Mrs Danvers the housekeeper is contemptuous of her employer's new wife, trying to bully and belittle her. Mrs Danvers had a very close attachment to the previous lady of the house, the titular Rebecca, and does not believe that the replacement is worthy of Rebecca's place.
- Au Bonheur Des Dames (a French novel by Émile Zola, set in one of the first department stores) explores this theme: the saleswomen are all working-class, but often better-dressed than the customers who come to them for help, resulting in subtle resentment and jealousy on either side.
- In The Goblin Emperor, Maia is unenthusiastic about the strict protocols surrounding the imperial throne to which he is the Unexpected Successor, and some of his household clearly disapprove of him. Beshelar, one of his bodyguards, is particularly prone to finding the Emperor's behaviour scandalous, although he's still scrupulously loyal and Maia manages to establish a good relationship with him eventually. The same is not true of another bodyguard, Dazhis, who keeps his disapproval hidden until his Bodyguard Betrayal.
- The Wheel of Time: The upper servants of the Seanchan Empire's aristocracy are granted the title so'jhin; while they're still slaves, they hold some of their masters' authority and are often quite powerful as a result. The Seanchan princess's so'jhin bodyguard Selucia shows no deference to anyone else, even reigning monarchs of other nations.
- Heidi: When Heidi is sent to live with the Sesemann family, she is treated with contempt only by Miss Rottenmeier, the snooty and strict housekeeper.
- The Castle of Lake Tchou-An (a continuation of the Judge Dee series): While staying in a noble family's domain, the judge overhears the majordomo being utterly contemptuous to a woman, who he think is the aged cook... then discovers it's the mistress of the house. It later turns out that the original family all died of sickness and the nobles are actually actors, explaining his monstrous (especially to Tang dynasty sensibilities) behavior. We later see the majordomo's POV, and it turns out he'd resented the family for decades, having poisoned them himself to steal their money and make a new life for himself.
- Discworld:
- Mrs. Whitlow, the Unseen University head housekeeper in Wizards books, speaks very pretentiously and has exacting standards for the rest of the staff. Even the wizards aren't quite sure how to deal with her in The Last Continent.
- Unseen Academicals goes into further detail about below-stairs at UU, including that the Bledlows (porters) and the Candle Knave not-so-secretly believe that they basically run the University, and the guys in pointy hats would be lost without them. The Candle Knave in particular is the reflected glory type, deferential to the wizards (at least to their faces) but ruthless to the workers in the candle vats. At one point, Archchancellor Ridcully ruefully reflects that, as the person from whom the Candle Knave's authority derives, he has to go along with this in order to maintain the hierarchy, even though his sympathies lie rather more with the dribblers. The Bledlows, meanwhile, seem to be the flawed-employer type, at least in their own opinion. They refer to the wizards behind their backs as "pointies", and seem to feel that senior wizards are just former students, and they definitely have authority over students.
- According to The Compleat Discworld Atlas, the highest honour given to Quirmian restaurants, the Cordon Octarine, has the rudeness of the waiters as one of the criteria.
- One of the reflected-glory type (or possibly, given the slave engineering implied to occur, a mixture of that and meeting expectations) shows up in More Terrible Than Chains, as a butler slave who disrespects mere sex slaves. He transpires to himself be a dual-purpose sex slave; in addition to being a butler, he was programmed to sexually dominate his owner, making him also an example of the flawed employer type.
- Several works by Agatha Christie set in post-war times feature gardeners who barely avoid qualifying as Crooked Contractors, but consume a lot of tea compared to the little work they do, and rarely if ever obey their employer's orders when it comes to changing the kinds of flowers and vegetables being planted.
- Servant Mage: Lady Ilfiantel's Old Retainer Gifa is harshly insistent on the respect she feels Ilfiantel is due and is contemptuous of commoners, even when Ilfiantel tells her to tone it down. It's one of many signs of the deep flaws in Monarchist society, even though the Liberationists are worse.
Gifa: The sap-drinking dirt-shod drab likes of you must address her as "my lady".
- The Kokonoe twins in Girls Kingdom may be maids in training, but they take no lip from anyone and tend to act a bit haughty when they're not molesting other students. This is largely because, due to unexplained circumstances they're on the Domestic Arts track, which is for maid training, instead of the Societal Arts track which is for the daughters of rich donors to the school which they would normally be expected to be on.
Live-Action Television
- Are You Being Served?: Captain Peacock is stuck-up and treats the floor as if it were his own domain, speaking down to the sales staff and being utterly dismissive of the maintenance staff. He's frequently shown wanting to gain greater prestige, only to be rebuffed by his seniors, who genuinely have the status he craves.
- Blackadder: In Blackadder the Third, Edmund (Prince George's butler/manservant) makes his contempt for subordinates (such as Baldrick) and the lower orders of society (such as actors and the French) clear. Clearer than his contempt for most everyone else that is, barring the Prince whose peculiar understanding allows him to blur the standards of what is clear and what is not.
- Blackadder: It is the way of the world, Baldrick - the abused always kick downwards. I am annoyed and so I kick the cat, the cat [There is a squeak] pounces on the mouse and, finally, [Baldrick squeals in pain] the mouse bites you on the behind.
- Downton Abbey: Contains a number of examples, some more sympathetic than others.
- Carson has good intentions and is fair for the most part, but he can be quite snobbish about enforcing traditions and keeping up the image of the estate. While he can be slow to adapt to change, his loyalty is unquestionable and he is rarely vindictive.
- Thomas Barrow is an example of Reflected Glory. When given a promotion in season 2, he takes great pleasure in reminding the other servants that they are beneath him. Yet as his life and backstory are explored in more detail, he becomes a more sympathetic figure, with Baxter openly helping him through his struggles.
- Ethel could count as an example as well, given how often she talks about how she deserves more than a life of service.
- Stowell, butler to Lord and Lady Sinderby, seems to go out of his way to be rude to everyone; he aggressively talks down to Barrow, refuses to serve Tom Branson because of his Irish background, and even harbors resentment towards Lord Sinderby for questioning his judgement (all in the span of a single episode).
- When Anna and Mr Bates go to a restaurant in York, the maître d' attempts to dismiss them despite them having a reservation. He claims that the establishment caters to the elite of Yorkshire society and is currently hosting the Countess of Grantham. Cora Crawley - the said countess, to whose daughter Anna is lady's maid and to whose husband Mr Bates is valetnote - suddenly appears and says she knows the two very well, using the maître d's own snobbishness to gently browbeat him into seating the couple.
- That Mitchell and Webb Look: Has the sketches "The incredibly posh people who are still unaccountably waiters", and "The incredibly aristocratic and intimidating people who still unaccountably sell clothes".
- Worzel Gummidge: Sue defines a butler as "a person who serves drinks on trays and looks down his nose".
- You Rang, M'Lord?: The servants are deferential to their employers but have their own hierarchy of snobbery. In particular, James the valet and Mrs Lipton the cook can both be quite unpleasant towards Mabel the charwoman and Henry the boot-boy, who are at the bottom of the heap. By contrast, Mr Stokes the butler (nominally at the top of the servant hierarchy) is usually quite nice to the junior staff, only taking a hard line when it's necessary to keep up appearances. A certain amount of the conflict between him and James comes from their differing attitudes on this subject — Stokes is something of a closet socialist, proud of his working-class background and secretly disdainful of his wealthy employers, while James fully believes in the class system and his place in it.
Radio
- Gilbert in The Train at Platform 4 is an offended sensibilities type. He is responsible for the First Class carriage, and the passengers in First Class are better than other passengers, so he must maintain the standards he assumes they expect. His Establishing Character Moment is hearing that there is free coffee in Standard Class for one day, being outraged that the masses are getting a perk that should be reserved for his passengers, and calling it an "experiment in socialism".
Theatre
- Malvolio in Twelfth Night is the incredibly stuffy Puritan head of a countess's household. He is widely disliked across classes, and his underlings eventually take revenge on him for his mistreatment of them.
Sir Toby: Art any more than a steward?
Video Games
- In Last Word, Banter, the servant at the Professor's mansion, is notably disdainful of the guests attending the party. He doesn't much bother to hide it, meeting any criticism of his attitude with further barely-concealed put-downs. If Seymour's journal is to be believed (which it sometimes might be), he's been waiting a long time for the chance to sneer at his supposed betters. His relationship with the Professor seems to go beyond simple employment, so he probably wouldn't get in trouble for it even if it were a more normal party.
- BlazBlue: While Kagura's Battle Butler Hibiki is normally humble and soft-spoken to most people, he often throws snark at his boss as he has to rein his boss in from his "fratboy" and perverted antics.
- Touhou Project: When Reisen is first introduced she's a Dirty Coward who frequently mocks Earthlings for being inferior to Lunarians, despite being merely one of the Moon Rabbits who serve them. This extends to her bossing around Earth rabbits like Tewi, seemingly unaware that the Lunarian exiles she works for are guests in Tewi's house. However, Reisen's extended time on Earth eventually leads her to become fully mortal and essentially go native, picking up a good deal of humility, sentimentality, and even courage in the process.
- Fire Emblem Fates has Jakob, Corrin's personal butler and attendant. He serves them with the utmost care and is unfailingly polite to them, even when things are rough. However, he's snobbish and rude to everyone else and strikes up conversations with others, even Corrin's close friends, just to mock them.
- Fallout 4 has Wellingham, a snotty Mister Handy that is extremely rude to anyone who isn't upper class.
- In Dishonored, Lord Treavor Pendleton's servant Wallace is probably the snobbiest character Corvo meets. Although a commoner, he thinks that his family's long history of service lifts him above his fellow servants, and he speaks of commoners with disdain. This includes people of much higher rank than him, such as Admiral Havelock, whose achievements Wallace considers irrelevant next to noble birth. Unfortunately, this doesn't spare him when the Loyalist conspiracy's inner circle, including his master Pentleton, decide to cover up their involvement by killing the lesser members.
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt: Barnabas-Basil Foulty from the Blood And Wine-DLC is a subversion. While he has all the trappings of the trope, position, accent, and mannerisms, he is anything but haughty. Barnabas-Basil is never anything but respectful, polite, and helpful, shows no prejudice towards anyone, never complains about Geralt's antics, and is not above having a friendly drink and game of gwent with Geralt or sharing some gossip about past owners of Corvo Bianco. The only thing that gets his dander up is when someone (Triss, Yennefer, or Ciri, depending on the player's choices) barges into the house uninvited and unannounced.
Web Original
- Mrs Crocombe from The Victorian Way has shades of the "offended sensibilities" type. While generally pleasant and helpful, and mindful that some cooks might not have access to the wealth of ingredients and help she has as head cook at a stately home, she frequently gives disapproving looks when discussing both social vulgarities (like calling roly-poly pudding "dead man's leg") and lazy shortcuts in cookery (like using custard powder and tinned fruit to make a trifle).
Western Animation
- In the DuckTales (1987) episode "Hotel Strangeduck", Scrooge buys an old castle with the intent to turn it into a luxury hotel. As part of his preparations, he has Mrs. Beakley teach Huey, Dewey, and Louie how to put on snooty airs as bellhops.
- Steven Universe:
- Despite the fact homeworld considers Pearls as nothing more than status symbols for their owners, Yellow Pearl (Yellow Diamond's Pearl) is a snooty, arrogant, and shrill gem, who clearly takes large amounts of pride out of her position, even chastising other gems for rule violations, to point where she even admits to considering Pink Diamond "silly". For her part Yellow Diamond seems to encourage this, treating her more like an employee than a possession and giving her actual responsibilities.
- White Pearl speaks directly for White Diamond, and by extension will boss around everyone, even the other Diamonds. Like her master, she keeps her body frozen in a striking pose, gliding around without moving her body, giving both an (eerie) air of superiority. This isn't really Pearl being haughty, rather it's White Diamond directly controlling her (up to channel her voice through her) to use her as a proxy. The real White Pearl (or rather Pink Pearl) is anything but haughty.
