The story is not about "power" vs. "powerless." I know that's how people like to analyze everything these days, but this ain't it.
It's about "smug and arrogant and thinks he knows" vs. "really does know." That's why it's an evergreen.
A favorite example is in Annie Hall where a smug guy is explaining Marshall McLuhan to his date, and Woody drags out the real McLuhan to tell the guy he's full of it.
If it were about "smug and arrogant and thinks he knows" vs. "really does know", then wouldn't we see the more senior person equally in both roles? I'm noting that hasn't been my experience.
How many times have you heard it told of the form "The senior architect made a statement about transaction locking, with which the junior engineer disagreed and cited ACID properties. It turned out the senior architect was Jim Gray."?
Granted, it's a terrible story, which is why it probably doesn't get told. Because you would have expected Jim Gray to be more knowledgeable about the topic. I guess it just irked me, because the anecdotes always feel curiously similar.
I think you are just overlooking something so common and in your face that it seems invisible.
In terms of retail/services, it's a 'customers are idiots' story, and they abound. An automotive example is "I need a 710 cap". In computer troubleshooting, the PEBKAC, PICNIC, and ID10T stories.
The BOFH stories might not be real, but they scratch an itch real people encounter. the BODY mangles people both up and down the chain of authority.
Vast swathes of industries have internal "Junior/contractors doesn't know how to think". On a drilling rig, a new hand will be sent to get the key to the vee door.Or a bucket of steam. Or in other industries, maybe a left-handed screwdriver or some such. In military, there are lots of real stories of drill sergeants making recruits feel foolish, and you can be sure they laugh about it over coffee with each other.
There's the SR71 airspeed story. And pilots get their callsigns from doing something stupid, normally.
No there's lots of stories where the expert comes out on top. Perhaps as many as "senior is an idiot"
It's about "smug and arrogant and thinks he knows" vs. "really does know." That's why it's an evergreen.
A favorite example is in Annie Hall where a smug guy is explaining Marshall McLuhan to his date, and Woody drags out the real McLuhan to tell the guy he's full of it.