Professional Butt-Kisser: Difference between revisions
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{{trope}}
{{quote|'''Chief Hearst:''' Mauser, you are the the most incredible ass-kisser I have ever seen.
'''Sgt. Mauser:''' ''(smiling)'' Thank you very much, sir. I do my best.
|''[[Police Academy]] 2: Their First Assignment''}}
Like the name says, the '''Professional Butt-Kisser''' is a career sycophant and [[Yes
It's worth mentioning that despite the utterly slimy nature of the character, they tend to get off fairly lightly in terms of [[Call It Karma|divine]] [[Laser-Guided Karma|retribution]]. It may be because of the [[Stepford Smiler]]-like lack of malice, or the lack of concrete evil deeds.
Often doubles as an [[Obstructive Bureaucrat]] and/or [[Smug Snake]]. See also [[Lickspittle]], [[Punch Clock Villain]] and [[Battle Butler]]. Contrast [[Chronic Backstabbing Disorder]]; both have little loyalty to their allies, but the Professional Butt-Kisser never rebels. See [[
{{examples}}
▲== Anime & Manga ==
* Diethard from ''[[Code Geass]]'' is one of these, a Britannian newshound who joins the Black Knights largely because he sees them as the winning party. {{spoiler|Later, once Lelouch is exposed and betrayed by the Black Knights, Diethard gleefully switches sides and joins Schneizel in his quest to conquer the world.}}
* Demagawa in ''[[
* Takayama's secretary in ''[[Witchblade (
* Thunderblast in ''[[Transformers Cybertron]]
==
* Wiggins is this to Radcliffe in ''[[Pocahontas]]'', which is why he may come off as [[Ambiguously Gay|gay]].
* In ''[[Coneheads]]'', INS Agent Seedling's assistant Turnbull (David Spade) manages to become a confidant to the leader of the Coneheads' people after he and his boss are captured and enslaved.
* In ''[[Demolition Man]]'', associate Bob manages to survive Doctor Cocteau's death by working with Phoenix to [[Human Popsicle|defrost other convicts]], and after Phoenix bites it he manages to get employed by the rebel leader Edgar Friendly (who tells him to stop wearing the kimono because he thinks he looks like a couch with it, and pick a hair color).
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* Chad in ''[[In the Loop]]'' takes this trope and tries to turn it into an artform. Unfortunately, he combines it with being a [[Smug Snake]] with the result that the people he tries to suck up to barely pay him any attention and everyone else just thinks he's a creep.
* The B-movie ''Circuitry Man'' (or possibly it was some other equally-forgettable flick) features a female [[Mook]] who is loyal to her "Boss", but cheerfully switches allegiance the instant her current employer gets killed; this happens two or three times in the course of the movie, and at the end, she survives to drive off into the sunset with Boss #4 or #5...
* Comedian Larry Miller is to Professional Butt Kissers what William Atherton and Christopher McDonald are to [[Smug Snake
== [[Literature]] ==▼
▲== Literature ==
* Casper in ''The Story of Henri Tod'' (one of the ''Blackford Oakes'' series) gives the impression of this very much in the early part of the story.
* There is a character exactly like this in the trope-filled novel ''Stolen from Gypsies''.
* The Igors in ''[[Discworld]]'' work like
* In one of the ''[[
{{quote|
* Mr. Collins of ''[[Pride and Prejudice]]'' is the Regency equivalent of this; while Lady Catherine de Bourgh is not exactly his boss, he does depend on her goodwill for future advancement, and ensures this goodwill (or, given Lady Catherine's overall disagreeable character, something close to it) through shameless
*
== [[Live-Action TV]] ==
* Dr. Jeffrey Steadman from ''[[Scrubs]]''.
* Dwight Schrute in ''[[The Office]]''. Aside from the few episodes he's fired (and [[George Jetson Job Security|promptly rehired]]) or trying to usurp Michael's job.
* Phil Smith on ''[[The Thick of It]]''.
* An offscreen example from ''[[3rd Rock
* [[Played for Laughs]] and subverted with Evaristo Espina from the "La Oficina ("The Office") segment in the Chilean humor show ''Jappening con Ja'', who had almost all the marking of the trope but is also fiercely loyal to his boss. He's [[Ensemble Darkhorse|so iconic]] that in Spanish Chilean slang, the word "espinita" is actually used to define the trope itself.
* Weyoun on ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]'' literally worships the Founders, the rulers of the Dominion. In fact, this trope is [[Planet of Hats|the hat]] of the entire Vorta race.
* Hodges on ''[[CSI]]''. He's always out to kiss up to the boss and doesn't really have any ambition, he wants to stay in the lab where he's happy. Grissom used to get terribly annoyed at him sometimes.
== [[Music]] ==
* The folkloric Venezuelan song [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RU5RK4ZM0Zk El Jalabolas] portrays the singer as one of these, who is quite proud of it and claims to be so successful at butt-kissing that the rich people of the area fight to have him as their underling. While his acts are bordering into [[Lickspittle]] territory (mentioning that he is willing to let himself be beaten, lie to his parents, [[Parental Abandonment|abandoning his children]] and [[Cuckold|lending his wife to others]] if that benefits his boss), he also admits that his motivations are [[Only in It For the Money|purely monetary]].
* Rudolph's tormentors in "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer"; sure, they eventually apologize, after [[Santa Claus|the boss]] starts to like him.
* The Brian Beathard Orchestra's response to "Rudolph", [https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UdB4xBR5zaE "Dammit, I'm Vixen"], accuses Rudolph of being the butt-kisser, sucking up to Santa every year to get the plum lead position on the sled team.
==
* Michael Cole on Monday Night RAW and Friday Night Smackdown usually kisses the butts of just about every heel, except for Daniel Bryan.
* Vince
== [[Tabletop Games]] ==
* In the ''[[Planescape]]'' setting, demons have a term for this - "parasite of power". The Chaotic [[Social Darwinist]] nature of the Abyss means [[Might Makes Right|the strongest demons are in charge]], so demons who lack the ability or desire to make themselves strong enough to rule figure that the best way to gain respect is to become the toadying sycophant of a powerful demon, hopefully one who is ''more'' powerful than one that its rivals might work for. Parasites of power range from lowly dretches and rutterkins to demons strong enough to become Abyssal Lords if they ever gained enough confidence to try.
==
* The University of Kansas is one of these to the Big 12 Conference, especially during the recent departures of four charter members (possibly due to the fact that they lose teams that they easily beat in basketball).▼
* [[Cyrano De Bergerac]]: This is a more realistic, non villanous example: At Act II Scene VII, Cyrano [[Discussed Trope|discuss this trope]] with Le Bret, claiming that he will [[Defied Trope|defy it]]. It should be said that in [[The Cavalier Years]] and now, this is [[Truth in Television]]: An artist is always dependent of patronage.
▲{{quote| '''Cyrano:''' What would you have me do? <br />
▲Seek for the patronage of some great man, <br />
▲And like a creeping vine on a tall tree <br />
▲Crawl upward, where I cannot stand alone? <br />
▲[[Defied Trope|No thank you!]] Dedicate, as others do, <br />
▲Poems to pawnbrokers? Be a buffoon <br />
▲In the vile hope of teasing out a smile <br />
▲On some cold face ? No thank you ! Eat a toad <br />
▲For breakfast every morning? Make my knees <br />
▲Callous, and cultivate a supple spine, <br />
▲Wear out my belly grovelling In the dust? <br />
▲[[Defied Trope|No thank you !]] Scratch the back of any swine <br />
▲That roots up gold for me? Tickle the horns <br />
▲Of Mammon with my left hand, while my right <br />
▲Too proud to know his partner's business, <br />
▲Takes in the fee? [[Defied Trope|No thank you!]] Use the fire <br />
▲God gave me to burn incense all day long <br />
▲Under the nose of wood and stone? [[Defied Trope|No thank you! ]]<br />
▲Shall I go leaping into ladies' laps <br />
▲And licking fingers? or to change the form <br />
▲Navigating with madrigals for oars, <br />
▲My sails full of the sighs of dowagers? <br />
[[Defied Trope|No thank you !]] }}
== [[Video Games]] ==
* In ''[[
* Pious Augustus in ''[[Eternal Darkness]]: Sanity's Requiem'' if he's working for Ulyaoth.
== [[Web Animation]] ==▼
▲== Web Animation ==
* Simmons from ''[[Red vs. Blue]]'', commonly referred to by Grif as a "kiss-ass". And not just Grif: pretty much anyone who's ever met Simmons is aware of his sycophancy. On one occasion, Sarge decided to forego commanding them to do something useful and just commanded them to do what they were going to do anyway (except for Grif, who made sarcastic remarks instead). Simmons' order was "kiss ass at will," which he did, with gusto.
{{quote|
'''Sarge:''' Excellent work, Simmons. }}
== [[Web Comics]] ==
* Qarr [[The Imp]] from ''[[
{{quote|
==
▲* Qarr [[The Imp]] from ''[[Order of the Stick (Webcomic)|Order of the Stick]]'' even have this as his personnal motto. At first working for Kubota by order of his higher-ups (well, lower-ups, since they're from the Lower Planes), he then tries to bind himself to Vaarsuvius (who killed Kubota) and ends up at the service of the IFCC.
▲{{quote| '''Qarr:''' See, the first lesson of being 18-inches tall is: Find someone more powerful than you are, and glue your lips to their ass.}}
* ''[[Transformers Animated]]''
** Sunstorm (Sycophant Starscream) heaps praise and compliments on ''everyone''. He especially praises the original and most brilliant Starscream, {{spoiler|and later Megatron.}} Of course, he's not nearly as awesome as you, wonderful article reader. ''You're so cool!''
** Lugnut too, though only for Megatron. He seems to not only ''worship'' Megatron in the most literal sense of the term, but he actually ''swears by him''
* ''[[The Simpsons (
** Averted by Waylon Smithers, whose devotion to Mr. Burns is genuine and absolute (and, well, more than just professional). It's also implied in one episode to be quite literal in Smithers' case, as he asks Mr. Burns, when the latter claims during a meltdown that he has nothing left but to kiss his sorry ass goodbye, if he could kiss Mr. Burns' ass.
** Played straight with his lawyers though, who absolutely refused to inform him he was making bad decisions even when he was losing everything. Hell, when he did, they still said he made all the right moves and when he called them out, they agreed in the exact same way.
* Wuya of ''[[
== [[Real Life]] ==
▲* The University of Kansas is one of these to the Big 12 Conference, especially during the
* The Venezuelan term "jalamecate" (translatable as "rope-puller"), which is used to describe people both in this trope and in [[Lickspittle]], comes from the anecdote that during the independence wars the Liberator Simon Bolivar liked to take naps on his hammock and tended to be in better spirits (and as such more prone to giving favors) when he was swing during his nap, so people who wanted to catch him in a good mood had his slaves to pull the ropes tying the hammock to make it swing, or even went to pull the rope themselves.
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Servant Tropes]]
[[Category:Characters As Device]]
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