Indefinably Slimy

I know this guy, you may know someone like him. He's pleasant enough, friendly enough in a superficial way, even kind of a man's man because he's fit and tough and smart enough to secure a job that gives him a very decent income. But every time I shake hands with him I want to go wash up. I thought I was alone in this until a week or so ago, when I happened to be talking to someone else about this guy, and they said pretty much exactly the same thing, they felt like they needed to hose off after being in his presence.
   I asked around, and it seems no one really cares for this guy, they all think the same thing, that he's more than a bit arrogant, condescending, and superior. Even though he's done nothing at all to merit the hostility directed towards him. I mean, seriously, he's always been a perfect gentleman, not an unkind word, not a dirty look, not one thing you could point to as a reason not to like him. And yet no one does.
   I got to wondering what it could possibly be, why would this person be so universally disliked with no apparent reason? I'm sure you seen animals have aversions to specific people, dogs growl and back away from some, cats hiss and run off. This is like that, only with people. I thought about it from time to time - when I encountered this guy - but never could put my finger on it. There was some indefinable sliminess about him, like a black cloud hanging over his head that infected every interaction he had.
   Then I saw him again and talked to him for a little while, and during that conversation it hit me. I knew what it was that put people off. He's the kind of guy who puts people into two categories: those who are useful to him and those that aren't. He's in 'the industry' and making a pretty penny at it, so I guess his useful radar works pretty well. As far as he was concerned I was not someone who could advance his career, and neither was anyone who shared my opinion of him.
   So what we were reacting to was his casual dismissal of us as inconsequential. Even though it wasn't overt, it was present enough for us to recognize. He was polite and cordial to us not because he was interested in talking to us or learning more about us, but because to be seen as impolite might get back to those people who could advance his career. Got it. Finally.
   But now here's the question. He's doing well in his chosen career, and being a colossal douchebag has more than paid his rent. Does that mean he's just lucky, or does that mean douchebaggery in general gets you ahead? Maybe it only gets you ahead with other jackass bastards? But if the people in charge are all jackass bastard douchebags, wouldn't they be alert to more of the same? You can't con a con man, after all, they know all the tricks.
   So I was pondering how I might go about becoming a colossal douchebag myself, because being that way certainly seemed lucrative. But I realized I just do not have it in me. I can't treat people that way, whenever I talk to someone I have to dig and probe and find out more about them. Because people are interesting, and the less interesting you imagine a person might be, the more interesting you find out they are. I've had people tell me things - true things, verifiable things - that I could never put in my fiction because readers wouldn't buy it.
   I guess I'm doomed to a life of middle-class wage slavery, all because I can't treat people like things. Seems like a fair trade-off.