[mikeash]

It's odd to think about what makes someone a "servant" and what is just providing a valuable service. Nobody makes these comments about contract programmers, for example, but what's the fundamental difference?

If you pay me to write you a program, that's just typical. If you pay me to come clean your bathrooms every day, that's more "servant". Paying me to deliver food is typical, paying me to come cook food using your own kitchen is not. Is there a real dividing line in there somewhere, or is it just a matter of societal norms?