Public office has always been associated with the established privileges of a ruling class and an element of this consciousness remains as an attribute of high public office, even in the absence of such traditions. In most situations in which members of the general public interact with officials, the representatives of bureaucracy have many advantages: the public must pass through a single channel to further a given project; often there is no means of appealing against the decision of a particular official. It is therefore difficult for officials to avoid developing a sense of superiority and disdain towards the public in spite of being called "civil servants".