# Do You Have Servants? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 2, 2011, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-servants/591124 "2011-08-02T01:08:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2011, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-servants/591124/1 "2011-08-02T01:08:07Z")
The title says as much. ---
**Author:** ![PandaBear77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@PandaBear77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PandaBear77)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2011, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-servants/591124/2 "2011-08-02T01:10:59Z")
Nope. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2011, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-servants/591124/3 "2011-08-02T01:13:39Z")
Define servants. We have someone mow and once a week housekeeping. Is that what you mean? ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2011, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-servants/591124/4 "2011-08-02T01:16:58Z")
No, the overwhelming majority of people in the U.S. do not have true servants. What do you consider a servant: a maid, a nanny, or someone bought online from Asia that has to stay in the house or else? Most of the first two are just part-time employees or contractors while the latter is a modern day slave. I can’t say I know anyone with a true servant although we had an older black nanny/housekeeper the whole time I was growing up but she didn’t take direct orders well and was more like a member of the family. Alice on the Brady Bunch is a servant in my view because she lives in the house and depends on the family for everything but that is TVLand where one middle-class income can support eight people and full-time help. ---
**Author:** ![conurepete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e57/32.png) [@conurepete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/conurepete)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2011, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-servants/591124/5 "2011-08-02T01:19:51Z")
No, I have cats. They have servants. Do not even ask about parrots, they believe they have subjects. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2011, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-servants/591124/6 "2011-08-02T01:21:10Z")
No, none, not even by a very generous definition. ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2011, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-servants/591124/7 "2011-08-02T01:21:25Z")
No, not even a once-a-week housekeeper. ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2011, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-servants/591124/8 "2011-08-02T01:25:54Z")
Nope. None. Did have a housecleaner for a few months back in the 80’s. Once every other week for 4 hours. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2011, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-servants/591124/9 "2011-08-02T01:25:59Z")
Not since we left Thailand. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2011, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-servants/591124/10 "2011-08-02T01:28:05Z")
No. My dog has a servant, though. No, wait. Servants get paid, don’t they? My dog has a slave. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Devil_s_Grandmother)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2011, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-servants/591124/11 "2011-08-02T01:30:32Z")
My husband does. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2011, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-servants/591124/12 "2011-08-02T01:40:48Z")
Does a guy who mows the lawn every other week count? I don’t think he’d consider himself a servant. ---
**Author:** ![yanceylebeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yanceylebeef/32/12290_2.png) [@yanceylebeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yanceylebeef)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2011, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-servants/591124/13 "2011-08-02T01:42:36Z")
What the hell is wrong with you, Curtis? ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2011, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-servants/591124/14 "2011-08-02T01:44:29Z")
> [@yanceylebeef](#): > > What the hell is wrong with you, Curtis? Erhm…??? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Living_Well_Is_Best_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2011, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-servants/591124/15 "2011-08-02T01:46:40Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > Erhm…??? 😕 It’s a fair question… ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2011, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-servants/591124/16 "2011-08-02T01:48:53Z")
I have a cook, a laundry woman, a masseuse, a cleaning lady, and a live-in concubine. Love you, hon! ---
**Author:** ![Kilvert\_s\_Pagan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@Kilvert\_s\_Pagan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilvert_s_Pagan)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2011, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-servants/591124/17 "2011-08-02T01:49:03Z")
Nope. In the US, I’d guess that true servants would be rare for anyone other than the wealthiest 1/10 of 1% of the population. But that’s a wild guess. ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2011, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-servants/591124/18 "2011-08-02T01:52:47Z")
Not a servant, I’d never call her that. There’s always been at least one person working and living (6 days a week) in my house in charge of house chores. Alicia’s been working in my house for almost 8 years now and she’s part of the family. We been on trip with her, she took my youngest kids to countless speech therapy sessions, my wife and i are her kid’s godparents, and I’m sure my wife would dump before letting her go. Servant? No way. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2011, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-servants/591124/19 "2011-08-02T01:54:22Z")
I have a driver. Does that count? I’m also looking for a part time servant, but since I don’t have her yet, she definitely doesn’t count. I don’t even really want her, but I’m being pressured because it’s my “social responsibility” or something like that. Heck, I don’t even really want the driver. My wife’s family has a “serviente” because it’s a Spanish-speaking country. It always kind of makes me cringe when I do the literal translation. One of my friends in Mexico also has a serviente, but she calls her “la señora” which seems much more respectful. Oh, here in China the servants are called “aunties” (except in Chinese). With the one-child policy, I guess there’s not going to be a whole lot of confusion over legitimate aunts. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2011, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-servants/591124/20 "2011-08-02T02:13:02Z")
“Servant” seems like such an antiquated term. Aren’t most of us “servants” in the sense we do stuff for other people they can’t or choose not to do for themselves? I used to have a cleaning lady who just did my floors. but she was a cool chick who did my floors. I have a guy who mows my lawn currently. But he does not live to serve =me…he mows my lawn and I compensate him fairly. I suppose “servant” in this instance refers to someone who constantly cleans up after one and does mundane tasks like picking up the kids? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-servants/591124.md?page=2)