I don't know if it's so much not possessing any wordly knowledge or understanding human needs and more of just not giving a f*ck about anyone. 

Tangent: What's the etiquette on tipping here?

Just don't..they do not deserve any....

Read somewhere else.

"Tipping is not necessary. The waiters probably make more than you do".

No doubt that you had some bad experiences with waiters in Geneva. But generalising is very easy and this is what happens often in recent posts. You can check an earlier post about a popular pizzeria; when it's a trendy, fancy and crowded place, there's a high risk to get bad service. This is the same for touristic areas like old town, place du molard and lake side.

It's a well know fact that the service in Geneva is very bad.  Yes there are a few places which dont fit this rule, but the fact is that waiters are paid well enough to not care about how they treat people and not rely on tips, thus creating poor service with an attitude that you are putting them out by asking them for something.

'Facts and Rules' are different in my point of view, you're talking about your opinion! I also doubt that waiters are well paid here, which you write as a fact...

As written before, if you avoid the trendy/crowded and touristic places, the more change you have to get a descent service (Yes, even in Geneva!).

A 24 year old waiter with only the minium education would make between 3700 & 4100f per month as per the salary guide. A trained experienced waiter (I imagine in a fancier place) could make much more than that. Hotel and restaurant personel have union negotiated salaries. You can find them online if you are really curious. 

First of all it is not the fault of the waiters! The restaurant owners are to blame more! They find cheap/untrained labour with minimum possible salary (meanwhile they believe one thing! sell cheap as much as possbile and hire less people)! Normally on weekends most of the small restaurants have 2 persons on service who are serving around 30-50 persons and same things happens inside the kitchen. Meanwhile every customers expecting a service of 5 star hote/resturant.  

Its usually the students in the crapper places that are the best waiters!

I don't know about you but I would NOT want to eat in a crapper place no matter the service...

at the recent ben/jasper drinks at the hotel de la paix, lausanne only 2 bar people for 100+ customers!!

I still find these stories weird. I've been dining a lot, at a lot of different places, and so far I never really had any "really bad" experiences. Certain expats here seem to keep on trashing Geneva. Sure it has it's flaws but so has every city. I have noticed tons of people who even refuse to ask in French if the service provide speaks English, how would you react in the UK if a Dutch guy came up to you and just started talking Dutch?. Perhaps you might want to look a little bit also to yourself and your own attitude towards waiters and service providers. A smile and trying that little bit of French can get you very far IMHO. There are notoriously bad places, true, but there are tons and tons of nice places out there as well and most of these waiters and waitresses are walking their asses off to get your food on the table. They deserve better than a spoilt expat trashing them.