The passive aggressive type generally focus on beta males or dim witted alphas. They may attempt this behavior on an alpha male to test them but are shut down at the get go by a simple question "Why do you feel the need to be a jerk?" This simple question puts them on the defensive and will stop the behavior towards you 99% of the time. If you are the recepient of this type of behavior on a regular basis, there is likely a reason for it as mentioned above.