# In other countries, which professions are considered evil? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 28, 2014, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-other-countries-which-professions-are-considered-evil/691896 "2014-06-28T22:47:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2014, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-other-countries-which-professions-are-considered-evil/691896/1 "2014-06-28T22:47:26Z")
Here in the US of A, we like to put down politicians and lawyers as beings of unmitigated evil. Is that a trend that occurs elsewhere too? What about less law-abiding countries? In general, which professions are considered evil – not just lower-class, but deliberately sinister? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2014, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-other-countries-which-professions-are-considered-evil/691896/2 "2014-06-28T22:57:55Z")
This is probably more suited to IMHO than GQ. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2014, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-other-countries-which-professions-are-considered-evil/691896/3 "2014-06-28T23:01:11Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > Here in the US of A, we like to put down politicians and lawyers as beings of unmitigated evil. Is that a trend that occurs elsewhere too? What about less law-abiding countries? In general, which professions are considered evil – not just lower-class, but deliberately sinister? Don’t forget used car salesmen 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![CheshireKat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheshirekat/32/1207_2.png) [@CheshireKat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheshireKat)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2014, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-other-countries-which-professions-are-considered-evil/691896/4 "2014-06-28T23:09:29Z")
Tax collector. Unjustified, as they don’t make the laws, but commonly portrayed as evil. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2014, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-other-countries-which-professions-are-considered-evil/691896/5 "2014-06-28T23:21:47Z")
I think it is much the same here in Britain: lawyers, politicians, used car salesmen, and, of course bankers/financiers, maybe salespeople/marketers in general (not shop workers, obviously, but people who you either have to haggle with, or who are actively pushing a product), and advertising people, maybe journalists. I think most Americans could probably agree to that list, though, and probably people in most other first-world countries. Maybe they don’t even have to be first-world. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2014, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-other-countries-which-professions-are-considered-evil/691896/6 "2014-06-28T23:39:59Z")
In Norway, it’s television licence fee collectors. I suspect this is also the case for other countries. (Yes, there’s a license fee used to fund public television. [Wiki link](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television_licence) for any of you Yanks who want to learn more about this madness.) For the UK, I’d say football (soccer) agents are probably high on the list. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2014, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-other-countries-which-professions-are-considered-evil/691896/7 "2014-06-29T00:08:43Z")
Estate agents and landlords have a pretty shitty reputation in the UK I think. ---
**Author:** ![EPoch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f6c823/32.png) [@EPoch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EPoch)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2014, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-other-countries-which-professions-are-considered-evil/691896/8 "2014-06-29T02:59:28Z")
Abortion doctors when it comes to certain sets of people. Cops sometimes and definitely CEOs. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2014, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-other-countries-which-professions-are-considered-evil/691896/9 "2014-06-29T03:18:42Z")
If anime is anything to go one, being a member of a military tends to be a bit morally suspicious, if not actually automatically baby-eating “evil,” in Japanese pop culture. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2014, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-other-countries-which-professions-are-considered-evil/691896/10 "2014-06-29T05:42:30Z")
Pakistan. Lawyers, politicians, estate agents. Traffic wardens and nurses. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2014, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-other-countries-which-professions-are-considered-evil/691896/11 "2014-06-29T06:05:26Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Pakistan. Lawyers, politicians, estate agents. Traffic wardens and nurses. Why nurses? What’s their reputation? ---
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2014, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-other-countries-which-professions-are-considered-evil/691896/12 "2014-06-29T06:44:44Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > nurses. Is it something to do with vaccines? ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2014, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-other-countries-which-professions-are-considered-evil/691896/13 "2014-06-29T06:50:11Z")
Liquor distiller in Thailand. Thai Beverage, a big whiskey distiller, is listed on the Singapore Exchange, but every single time it starts making plans to list at home on the Stock Exchange of Thailand, the masses come out in protest, because it’s an un-Buddhist occupation. Considering how popular drinking is among the Thai population, not to mention how big the bar industry is, this is very hypocritical. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2014, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-other-countries-which-professions-are-considered-evil/691896/14 "2014-06-29T07:46:34Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#): > > Why nurses? What’s their reputation? Being scowling, unfriendly and forcing having the manner and symphaty of an executioner. ---
**Author:** ![Lo-Slung\_Denim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f6c823/32.png) [@Lo-Slung\_Denim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lo-Slung_Denim)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2014, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-other-countries-which-professions-are-considered-evil/691896/15 "2014-06-29T07:55:19Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > Estate agents and landlords have a pretty shitty reputation in the UK I think. Yes estate agents have a bad reputation, and traffic wardens. Not considered evil, but people are a bit suspicious of plumbers as rip-off merchants. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2014, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-other-countries-which-professions-are-considered-evil/691896/16 "2014-06-29T08:26:06Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Liquor distiller in Thailand. Thai Beverage, a big whiskey distiller, is listed on the Singapore Exchange, but every single time it starts making plans to list at home on the Stock Exchange of Thailand, the masses come out in protest, because it’s an un-Buddhist occupation. Considering how popular drinking is among the Thai population, not to mention how big the bar industry is, this is very hypocritical. Oh yeah, and motorcycle taxi drivers. I never take them myself, but they’re considered a necessary evil. Hang out at the entrance to any lengthy lane. Myself, I would rather just take a regular automobile taxi even for a short hop. But the stereotype is that if you ever need a hit man, go check among the nearest motorcycle taxi ranks. ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2014, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-other-countries-which-professions-are-considered-evil/691896/17 "2014-06-29T08:29:39Z")
Telemarketers, used car salesmen, estate agents, and, of course, politicians, take the cake in Finland (like Norway, television license fee collectors were once easily among the most vile, but they no longer exist). ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2014, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-other-countries-which-professions-are-considered-evil/691896/18 "2014-06-29T08:48:38Z")
> [@Lo-Slung\_Denim](#): > > Not considered evil, but people are a bit suspicious of plumbers as rip-off merchants. And motor mechanics, come to that. ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2014, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-other-countries-which-professions-are-considered-evil/691896/19 "2014-06-29T09:12:06Z")
This is going to sound racist, it probably is, but in the UK having Irish handyman/labourers offer to do work on your premises is viewed with extreme scepticism and sometimes great hostility. ---
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2014, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-other-countries-which-professions-are-considered-evil/691896/20 "2014-06-29T09:26:40Z")
India. Politicians are the only ones considered actually evil. Autorickshaw drivers are hated in all cities (except Bombay) for price gouging and cheating. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-other-countries-which-professions-are-considered-evil/691896.md?page=2)