History Main / CondescendingCalmness

* ''Anime/MyHime'': Shizuru, in her role as President of the AbsurdlyPowerfulStudentCouncil, is often calm and collected, as compared to the more HotBlooded Haruka Suzushiro, head of the Executive Committee. Haruka often tries to butt heads with Shizuru, but Shizuru often dismisses her by calmly sipping tea and making a reasonable, rational suggestion, often dumping more work on Haruka in the process. Even when Shizuru goes [[spoiler: PsychoLesbian later in the series]], she still maintains a degree of DissonantSerenity and TranquilFury when Haruka confronts her on dereliction of her duties. In fact, the only thing that cracks Shizuru's calm for even a second is when Haruka engages in BlamingTheVictim of Natsuki after witnessing Shizuru [[DudeShesLikeInAComa kissing Natsuki in her sleep]]. And after slapping Haruka for insulting Natsuki, she immediately regains her composure, "What happened was something that '''''I''''' did to ''her''. I will not allow you to insult Natsuki."

* ''Fanfic/TheMountainAndTheWolf'': The Wolf's constant insults are usually delivered with bombastic contempt, but sometimes he uses a conversational tone that only serves to infuriate his victim further, such as when lambasting Cersei for her failures as a queen, wife, and mother.

* In ''Film/{{Serenity}}'', The Operative almost always speaks in an infuriatingly calm, level voice, even as he ruthlessly stabs and slices his way toward the titular ship and her crew. This finally drives Mal into a fury after The Operative [[spoiler:murders Shepherd Book and all of his followers]] then has the nerve to send a message expressing his condolences, saying that it was unfortunate but necessary to leave Mal with nowhere else to hide.
* [[PointyHairedBoss Bill Lumbergh]] from ''Film/OfficeSpace'' is so much this, you'd swear he has Valium in that coffee mug of his. He seems to always be calm, even when abusing and bullying his employees and generally acting like a complete dick. (Actor Creator/GaryCole noted he was glad they removed a scene involving Lumbergh yelling at an incompetent tow truck driver who rips the bumper off his car, stating it would've ruined the effect his portrayal had.)

'''King:''' Okay, there are some contractors who owe us. Convince them to hook us up... (''to [[TheDragon Big Tony Green]]'') How's [[TheDarkChick Tanya's]] side of things?\\

** ''VideoGame/SaintsRow1'': [[TheDon Benjamin]] [[ScaryBlackMan King]] is an extremely [[GeniusBruiser intelligent]] and [[PragmaticVillainy pragmatic]] man who spends most of his cutscenes throughout the Vice Kings arc staying extremely calm whenever the [[NeighborhoodFriendlyGangsters Third Street Saints]] are making attacks on his turf, always focusing on legal ways to make up for any financial losses the [=VKs=] suffer instead of retaliating with lethal force, as his HotBlooded lieutenant Warren Williams constantly pushes for. Overlaps with TranquilFury, because King is visibly annoyed by Warren's impulsiveness and belligerence, but he rarely ever raises his voice when he tells him to shut up.

*** In "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS1E22SkinOfEvil Skin of Evil]]", after the murder of Tasha Yar, Picard confronts Armus and has a conversation with him. Picard is unflappable, polite, and utterly calm, as he first shows pity to Armus, enraging the entity, then calmly tells him that he's not taking him anywhere.
*** In "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS3E17SinsOfTheFather Sins of the Father]]", Duras challenges Picard, insinuating to him that the Federation does not practice war. Picard calmly states, "You may test that assumption at your convenience."
*** In "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS5E7Unification1 Unification I]]", Picard is trying to ask for a favor from Gowron, only to be frequently ignored. Worf suggests that Gowron is rewriting history to portray himself as the hero and savior of the Empire and that the Enterprise's arrival is an inconvenient reminder of the truth. When they finally get ahold of a junior adjutant, Picard makes his request. When the adjutant asks what the benefit to the Empire would be, Picard says, calmly, "The only benefit would be our gratitude."

** ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'': In "Scientific Method", the crew discovers that some alien scientists had been secretly experimenting on them. When they capture one of the alien scientists, she speaks in a condescending manner about her alleged work.

* ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'': In "Scientific Method", the crew discovers that some alien scientists had been secretly experimenting on them. When they capture one of the alien scientists, she speaks in a condescending manner.
-->'''Janeway:''' What you're doing isn't self-defense. It's the exploitation of another species for your own benefit. My people decided a long time ago that that was unacceptable, even in the name of scientific progress.
-->'''Alzen:''' You're a remarkably strong-willed individual. I've been very impressed by your self-control over the past several weeks. We've been increasing your dopamine levels, stimulating various aggressive impulses to test your behavioural restraints. There's been a great difference of opinion about how much more strain you can bear.
-->(''Janeway slams Alzen against the wall'')
-->'''Janeway:''' Not much.

* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'', "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS1E16WhenTheBoughBreaks When The Bough Breaks]]": The planet Aldea, a hidden planet of legend, is rediscovered, but the leader of the planet, Radue, abducts several children from the ''Enterprise'', as the population is unable to bear children of their own. When Picard angrily contacts Radue, he is shut down by Radue attempting instead trying to discuss payment for them.
-->'''Radue:''' ''[on viewscreen]'' Captain, your children are with us. My word of honor, no harm will ever come to them.
-->'''Picard:''' Harm has already come to them.
-->'''Radue:''' Captain, let us begin discussions regarding appropriate compensation.
-->'''Picard:''' ''[quickly losing patience]'' Compensation?! You have stolen our children away from their classrooms, away from their bedrooms and you talk about compensation?! You claim to be a civilized world and yet you have just '''''committed an act of utter barbarity!'''''
-->'''Radue:''' Captain, we will continue these discussions when you've calmed down. ''[He cuts communication]''
** Picard is actually very capable of this himself.
*** In "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS1E22SkinOfEvil Skin of Evil]]", after the murder of Tasha Yar, Picard confronts Armus and has a conversation with him. Picard is unflappable, polite, and utterly calm, as he first shows pity to Armus, enraging the entity, then calmly tells him that he's not taking him anywhere.
*** In "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS3E17SinsOfTheFather Sins of the Father]]", Duras challenges Picard, insinuating to him that the Federation does not practice war. Picard calmly states, "You may test that assumption at your convenience."
*** In "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS5E7Unification1 Unification I]]", Picard is trying to ask for a favor from Gowron, only to be frequently ignored. Worf suggests that Gowron is rewriting history to portray himself as the hero and savior of the Empire and that the Enterprise's arrival is an inconvenient reminder of the truth. When they finally get ahold of a junior adjutant, Picard makes his request. When the adjutant asks what the benefit to the Empire would be, Picard says, calmly, "The only benefit would be our gratitude."
---->'''Klingon Adjutant:''' (hot with anger) ''That is what you want me to tell him?''
---->'''Picard:''' (still calm) Yes. And if he won't, there are others in the Empire who might be willing to help. And then ''they'' would have our gratitude.
* ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'': This was part of Winn Adami's pious personality. When others seem to be more emotional, she seems to not let the situation bother her, or uses it as a way to prop herself above those she sees as inferior and emotional.

* ''Film/TheIceHarvest'': During an ''excrutiatingly'' awkward Christmas dinner, Sarabeth stays perfectly calm during Pete's drunken tirade, and is clearly doing it to emasculate both Pete and Charlie.

See also PolitenessJudo. Compare the Blue Oni part of RedOniBlueOni. Also Compare TheStoic, DissonantSerenity, and SmugSnake. May overlap with TranquilFury. If a villain acts like this on a regular basis, compare FauxAffablyEvil and SoftSpokenSadist. If the protagonist uses this against the villain, and it's strong enough, based on the situation, it may induce a VillainousBreakdown.

This is the personality type that can ''really'' get under your skin. A character usually keeps a cool head, conversely to another character, for one of several reasons: they may be keeping tactical control over the situation, they may be trying to egg another person on, or they may be trying to make the other more-vocal individual look bad, as if they weren't thinking straight, if there are multiple people around. Even if the other vocal character has valid, or even completely-correct, points, the people watching may side with the calmer, less-outgoing character, even when it's not in their best interest to do so, or [[EasilySwayedPopulation even without critically thinking of the consequences.]]

If the character in-question takes this kind of calmness too far, expect the other character to beat some sense into them.

If the character in-question is haughty enough, they may use this kind of emotion in-tandem with SkewedPriorities, as if understating or discarding the seriousness of the situation, either because they genuinely believe there is no need to escalate or be worried, or because they are mocking or uncaring of the other individual. Sometimes used in conjunction with a RulesLawyer or a PrinciplesZealot if they are so inclined to stick to rules, force them on others, or point them out at inopportune times.

--> '''Madison:''' Are you feeling okay, Taylor? Are you having problems again?
* ''Fanfic/TheMountainAndTheWolf'': The Wolf's constant insults are usually delivered with bombastic contempt, but sometimes he uses a conversational tone that only serves to infuriate his victim further, such as when lambasting Cersei for her failures as a queen, wife and mother.
* ''Fanfic/TaylorHebertMedhallIntern'' is so outraged, indignant and upset, by contrast to the calm and apparently reasonable attitudes of her bullies, that the bystanders are all inclined to side with the bullies as they assault Taylor and brazenly rob her of hundreds of dollars of clothes that she just bought.
--> '''Emma:''' I'm sorry, folks. We try so hard, as her friends. It's so easy to believe her, unless you know what she's really like.

* In ''Film/{{Serenity}}'', The Operative almost always speaks in an infuriatingly-calm, level voice, even as he ruthlessly stabs and slices his way towards the titular ship and her crew. This finally drives Mal into a fury after The Operative [[spoiler:murders Shepherd Book and all of his followers]] then has the nerve to send a message expressing his condolences, saying that it was unfortunate but necessary to leave Mal with nowhere else to hide.

** This is especially prominent in ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix''. Dumbledore remains calm in the face of pure anger from Cornelius Fudge, Dolores Umbridge, and near the end, Harry himself, who is beside himself with rage, and is shouting and hurling Dumbledore's possessions to the floor, and Dumbledore makes no attempt at all to stop him.
---> '''Dumbledore:''' By all means continue destroying my possessions, I daresay I have too many.

*** In "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS5E7Unification1 Unification I]]", Picard is trying to ask for a favor from Gowron, only to be frequently ignored. Worf suggests that Gowron is rewriting history to portray himself as the hero and savior of the Empire, and that the Enterprise's arrival is an inconvenient reminder of the truth. When they finally get ahold of a junior adjutant, Picard makes his request. When the adjutant asks what the benefit to the Empire would be, Picard says, calmly, "The only benefit would be our gratitude."
---> '''Klingon Adjutant:''' (hot with anger) ''That is what you want me to tell him?''
---> '''Picard:''' (still calm) Yes. And if he won't, there are others in the Empire who might be willing to help. And then ''they'' would have our gratitude.

* ''VideoGame/Bioshock2'': [[BigBad Sofia Lamb]] always speaks in a soft, soothing monotone and never raises her voice to shouting volume, even in emergencies. On top of issuing faintly condescending monologues to Subject Delta as he progresses through Rapture, audio diaries reveal that she weaponized this in her public debates with [[ContrastingSequelAntagonist Andrew Ryan]]: where Ryan spent most of these discussions quietly seething with irritation at having his beliefs questioned in his own utopia, Lamb remained as serene as usual as she rebutted his points one by one, even calling him by his first name in the manner of a disappointed kindergarten teacher. As such, Ryan's attempt to disarm Lamb in public not only failed, but only ended up spreading her beliefs to a wider audience.

--> '''Bart:''' Oh, it's my fault for leaving you in charge. Sometimes, I forget how young you are.
--> '''Milhouse:''' I'm only three months younger than you.
--> '''Bart:''' Oh, look, you're getting cranky. You haven't had your juice.
--> '''Milhouse:''' Well, my straw broke off in the carton... ''[realizes that Bart changed the subject]'' that's not the point! We're supposed to be partners, and you're pushing me around like a Playskool corn popper!
--> '''Bart:''' ''[chortles]'' It's a vacuum cleaner, Milhouse.
--> '''Milhouse:''' '''''Whatever!''''' I demand respect! I have feelings! I'm a human boy, just like you!
--> '''Bart:''' Shh. Use your indoor voice.
--> '''Milhouse:''' ''[completely lost all patience]'' Okay, that's it!
--> ''[Milhouse takes off his glasses, only to realize he can't see without them]''
--> '''Milhouse:''' Huh? Oh. ''[He puts them back on, and leaps at Bart]'' '''''AIYYYYEEEEEEEEE-YAH!!!'''''
--> ''[The scene fades to a freeze-framed comic-art-stylized version of the two, fade to commercial]''
* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'': Sapphire sometimes comes off as this due to her [[{{Seers}} "future vision"]] powers. Although she means well, her focusing on the outcome of a situation, without considering ''how'' it will come about or the feelings of the people involved, makes her come off as cold, ignorant and unfeeling.

[[/folder]]

** ''VideoGame/SaintsRow1'': [[TheDon Benjamin]] [[ScaryBlackMan King]] is an extremely [[GeniusBruiser intelligent]] and [[PragmaticVillainy pragmatic]] man who spends most of his cutscenes throughout the Vice Kings arc staying extremely calm whenever the [[NeighborhoodFriendlyGangsters Third Street Saints]] are making attacks on his turf, always focusing on legal ways to make up for any financial losses the VKs suffer instead of retaliating with lethal force, as his HotBlooded lieutenant Warren Williams constantly pushes for. Overlaps with TranquilFury, because King is visibly annoyed by Warren's impulsiveness and belligerence, but he rarely ever raises his voice when he tells him to shut up.
-->'''King:''' How much is the studio incident gonna set us back?
'''Warren:''' The "''incident''?!" [[SarcasmMode I'm sorry. I thought some motherfuckas blew up my shit! I didn't realize it ain't no thang!]]
'''King:''' ''[[PunctuatedForEmphasis How. Much]]?''
'''Warren:''' Including the loss of revenue from [[FakingTheDead Aisha's death]]... I'd say we're talkin' ''millions''.
'''King:''' Okay, there are some contractors who owe us. Convince them to hook us up... (''to [[TheDragon Big Tony Green]]'') How's [[TheDarkChick Tanya's]] side of things?
'''Tony:''' Grip is short, Mr. King.
'''King:''' [[ThatMakesMeFeelAngry I'm not happy, Anthony]]. You told me she could handle it.
'''Tony:''' It's not her fault, Mr. King. The Saints have been fuckin' with her.
'''Warren:''' ''That's'' what I'm talkin' about! Are you gonna let these bitches disrespect us?
'''King:''' ''Everybody, [[ThisIsNoTimeForPanic calm the fuck down]].'' We ain't gonna start a war every time some motherfuckas act hard.
'''Tanya Winters:''' (''entering King's office'') We need to talk about the Saints... They've taken Prawn Court.
'''King:''' How did this happen?
'''Warren:''' '''How the FUCK do you THINK it happened?!''' Look, we need to get together here and just-
'''King:''' (''stands up to remind Warren he's [[LargeAndInCharge taller than him]]'') ''What we need''... is for ''[[MotorMouth you]]'' to ''shut the fuck up'', you feel me?
'''Warren:''' (''very bitterly'') Yeah...
'''King:''' ''What?''

-->'''Maero:''' ''They hit my boys while they were on the prison bus!''
-->'''Vogel:''' Between [[spoiler:your girlfriend]] and your gang, I'd say you're a [[DoomMagnet magnet for tragedy]], Maero.
-->'''Maero:''' You think this is [[PrecisionFStrike fucking]] ''funny''?!
-->'''Vogel:''' No. But I ''do'' think it's ''your'' problem.
-->'''Maero:''' (''slams his hands on Maero's desk'') ''My'' problems are ''your'' problems. [[ImpliedDeathThreat Or do you need some]] ''[[DestinationDefenestration fresh air]]'' [[ImpliedDeathThreat to remind you]]?
-->'''Vogel:''' No, see, ''my'' problem is that a [[TattooedCrook sideshow freak]] is messing up my paperwork. ''Your'' problem is that [[JustYouAndMeAndMyGuards there's an armed team of security guards with assault rifles pointed right at your back]]... I'm sorry you couldn't protect your friends, I truly am. But Ultor is done doing you favours. Come back here again, [[KillOnSight and I'll have you shot on sight]].

* In ''Series/DoomPatrol2019'', Niles Caulder uses a calm, even voice whenever he has to upbraid one of his charges in front of the others, never yelling at any of them unless he's got one of them alone, subtly playing them against each other so that they never question the decisions he makes on their behalf.

*** In "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS4E24TheMindsEye The Mind's Eye]]", Governor Vagh challenges Picard, telling him that the Federation does not practice war. Picard calmly states, "You may test that assumption at your convenience."

* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'', "When The Bough Breaks": The planet Aldea, a hidden planet of legend, is rediscovered, but the leader of the planet, Radue, abducts several children from the ''Enterprise'', as the population is unable to bear children of their own. When Picard angrily contacts Radue, he is shut down by Radue attempting instead trying to discuss payment for them.

*** In "Skin of Evil", after the murder of Tasha Yar, Picard confronts Armas and has a conversation with him. Picard is unflappable, polite, and utterly calm, as he first shows pity to Armus, enraging the entity, then calmly tells him that he's not taking him anywhere.
*** In one episode, a group of Klingons challenge Picard, telling him that the Federation does not practice war. Picard calmly states, "You may test that assumption at your convenience."
*** In "Redemption, pt.1", Picard is trying to ask for a favor from Gowron, only to be frequently ignored. Worf suggests that Gowron is rewriting history to portray himself as the hero and savior of the Empire, and that the Enterprise's arrival is an inconvenient reminder of the truth. When they finally get ahold of a junior adjutant, Picard makes his request. When the adjutant asks what the benefit to the Empire would be, Picard says, calmly, "The only benefit would be our gratitude."

See also PolitenessJudo. Compare the Blue Oni part of RedOniBlueOni. Also Compare TheStoic and DissonantSerenity. May overlap with TranquilFury. If a villain acts like this on a regular basis, compare FauxAffablyEvil and SoftSpokenSadist. If the protagonist uses this against the villain, and it's strong enough, based on the situation, it may induce a VillainousBreakdown.