My friends and I were enthralled in the seventies by a dramatic British TV series called Upstairs Downstairs. Taking place in a London townhouse, from 1903 to the 1930s, it focused on the comings and goings of the blue blood family upstairs and its “family” of servants downstairs. Separated by class, not to mention living quarters, the two groups nevertheless had similar emotions and experiences. Upstairs and down, romances flourished, secrets and gossip thrived, heartache and loss wrecked lives.
I most remember Hudson, the head of the downstairs staff, who assumed the uppity manner of his upstairs employers. Were it not for his servant’s uniform, it would have been hard to tell them apart.
Hudson is in the front role, middle
I am often reminded of Hudson when I deal with officious people (better known as asses), including:
Arrogant administrative assistants to successful executives
Insufferable maître d’ at fancy restaurants
Cocky concierges at fancy hotels
Off-putting agents and managers of celebrities
Condescending assistants to fancy Park Avenue doctors
Nervy nannies to rich Park Avenue toddlers
Supercilious salespeople at fancy shops (remember when prostitute Vivian, in Pretty Woman, was shunned while she attempted to shop on Rodeo Drive?)
Brash doormen at fancy apartment buildings
I guess some of these people get their attitude from their surroundings and their silly “superiors.” As far as I’m concerned, self-importance is conduct unbecoming, no matter where it was born.
0 Responses to “Class actions”
Duchesse says:
Notice that each of these jobs is low-status, dead end. It’s not surprising some people in them is to “borrow” certain behaviours-which are no more admirable in their higher-status employers. Each of those behaviours is really a form of bullying, a way to try to exert some power, which of course they do not really have.
And each of these salespeople, etc. has plenty of stories about miserable customers or clients, too.
My favourite retort to an uppity clerk was delivered by one of the characters (Eddy) in my favourite British series, Ab Fab: “You WORK. In a SHOP. So you can drop the attitude.”
I agree 100%!! I am always amazed at how these people elevate themselves to something they “wish” they were, I suppose. It’s behavior that becomes rather comical as one gets “older” and has a more discerning eye ;-). xoxo
0 Responses to “Class actions”
Duchesse says:
Notice that each of these jobs is low-status, dead end. It’s not surprising some people in them is to “borrow” certain behaviours-which are no more admirable in their higher-status employers. Each of those behaviours is really a form of bullying, a way to try to exert some power, which of course they do not really have.
And each of these salespeople, etc. has plenty of stories about miserable customers or clients, too.
My favourite retort to an uppity clerk was delivered by one of the characters (Eddy) in my favourite British series, Ab Fab: “You WORK. In a SHOP. So you can drop the attitude.”
Preppy 101 says:
I agree 100%!! I am always amazed at how these people elevate themselves to something they “wish” they were, I suppose. It’s behavior that becomes rather comical as one gets “older” and has a more discerning eye ;-). xoxo