Nice to the Waiter: Difference between revisions

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[[Escapism|For whatever reason]], heroes in fiction tend to be wealthier than average. If the work is set in a fantasy environment or in an era where [[Royal Blood|monarchies]] were the norm, authors will focus on the [[Blue Blood|aristocracy]]. And if it's a more modern setting, the main characters will probably be well-educated and work white collar jobs.

{{quote| '''Johnny Cage''': Thank God I didn't ask him to park the car...}}

* Subverted in ''[[A Few Good Men]]'', where total bastard Colonel Jessep is shown taking time out of holding court at a lunch table (and preparing to humiliate the Navy lawyers who've come to investigate his base) to thank the waiter and tell him the meal was delicious.

* In the biopic of ''[[Gandhi (Film)|Gandhi]]'', part of his philosophy regarding good will towards others, the titular pacifist is generous enough to help his servant carry the tea set himself.

* In ''[[The Princess and The Frog (Disney)|The Princess and The Frog]]'', the first sign that "Big Daddy" LeBouf is an [[Uncle Pennybags]] is the way he treats Tiana's mother (a black seamstress who works for him) with genuine respect. He and Charlotte are also very friendly and respectful to Tiana, who literally ''is'' their waitress in one scene.

** Also, part of the signal that the murder victim in ''Whose Body?'' is a good guy is that he was well-liked by his servants, not just because of this, but also in a more classist way, because he was a "natural gentleman" despite being a [[Self-Made Man]]- one point in solving the mystery was that he would always neatly fold his clothing before going to bed.

* Sirius Black subverts this -- while Dumbledore tells Harry he was kind to house-elves in general, Sirius is nasty and cruel to his own house elf Kreacher. It's Black's evil-aligned family who are kind to Kreacher. {{spoiler|This proves to be Sirius' undoing.}}

** And Kreacher doesn't get off scott-free either in ''[[Harry Potter (Franchise)/Harry Potter and The Order of The Phoenix|Order of the Phoenix]]''; even without Sirius' ill treatment, he despised the Weasleys, frequently called Hermione "Mudblood" even though she was the only one who treated him with actual respect, and barely tolerated Harry. {{spoiler|Of course, he grudgingly respects Harry after he inherits everything and starts treating him better than Sirius did.}} Sirius is the second type of [[No Hero to His Valet]]--he ''is'' good, but when he's cooped up in a house he's hated all his life, with a servant who belittles everyone he cares about, giving in to his demons becomes more understandable.

*** Quote from Sirius himself is a rewording of the trope name, "If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals."

* An episode of ''[[Will and Grace (TV)|Will and Grace]]'' had Will on a date with an arrogant man. At the end of the date, they began to argue over which of them should pay the bill. Will gets the waiter to give ''him'' the bill with the promise that "I'll tip you."

** Previously, Will mentions playing the "Be Nice To Waiters" game. He says, "If you win, you get to not go to hell."

** And when it ''doesn't'' happen, it's noteworthy enough to be called out: see the late 10th Doctor episode "Midnight" and the stewardess of the tour shuttle he and several strangers are on.

* In the "[[Upperclass Twit]]" sketch from ''[[Monty Python's Flying Circus (TV)|Monty Python's Flying Circus]]'', one of the tasks required of the contestants is abusing a waiter.

* Gangster [[Gonk|Lou]] "[[Ironic Nickname|Pretty]]" [[Affably Evil|Amberg]] was very nice to those who served him, often tipping one hundred dollars.

* Similar to the above example, [[Frank Sinatra]] was famous for tipping valets and porters in excess of 100 dollars. Keep in mind that this was at a time when someone working a job like that might make that much in a couple of WEEKS.

 

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[[Category:Characterization Tropes]]

[[Category:Morality Tropes]]