Poll: Please?

[ultimateownage]

Reminds me of a story I read on this weird programme when I was 5, there where 2 kids who couldn't find there mum and had to do stuff themselves and it drove them to the point of tears when the mum comes and says they just needed to say the magic word, please. What a *****.

OT: I don't mind not having a please if it's polite, but if they're arseholes about it I won't do anything whether or not there was a please, pleases mean nothing it's just a pleasantry.

 

[Marik2]

So, the event that made me snap on politeness happened today;

Requesting a room to do photoshop for college, I went to one of the mythical custodians of the room keys to ask her to unlock a door. I asked the following question, which I feel I delivered in a pleasant, neutral-to-happy tone that people seem to like;

"Hey, I need to do some quick photoshop work and my tutors not in, could I borrow you for a second to unlock a door for me?"

The woman then turned to me and started glaring, clearly trying to kill me with her mind. We were there for a good few seconds before I twigged that I hadn't shown my ID, so I got it out, politely apologised and showed her it. At this point, I got what may be the stupidest response of my life;

"It's a considered a sign of respect to say 'please'!"

After a few more seconds of stunned silence on my part, I sighed and let out a long, drawn out

"I'm sorry. May I please. Please. Pretty, pretty please. Please borrow you to open a door for me?"
"Of course dear. Was that so hard?"

I'm still in some kind of shock over the entire incident, but it's got me thinking - would you rather be a genuine request for help, without a please, or do you need the please before you do something to help, even if it's dripping with sarcasm?

Also, before you post, yes, yes I'm very aware that some of you are going to go on about how you don't help your fellow man because at all you hate them all. Yes, we're all very impressed at your fake misanthropy that you've put on so a bunch of strangers will think you're cool. Now, just once, try acting like a grown up. For me. Please.

tl;dr? Read it, ya lazy gobshite.

Well I think she was mad that you said "could I borrow you" in her mind she could have thought you were demanding for help.

 

[LeonLethality]

i usually attack them with the power of the dictionary,making them unable to think because their mind is still processing the words.

You remind me of myself my words are my weapon in almost any situation I can reduce someone to tears with words =D

OT: I am often nice to someone when I ask for something

 

[Naheal]

i'm always polite until i don't get respect.

This, though I tend to not use "please" unless I'm being sarcastic. For some reason, that's how the tone ends up.

 

[Sethzard]

I like a plesantry, if there isn't one then as long as the request will be fine if it's polite.

 

[Baby Tea]

I always say please and thank you.
I usually try to be very polite to everyone, even if they aren't too polite back. This works very well if other people are around, since they'll hear me being very polite, and the other person being rude for no reason, and the other person will look like the douche bag.

This actually reminds me of when I was working fast food in my younger days! This guy was being rude to me to impress his ugly girlfriend. He was making fun of the fact that I was working at Burger King, and that I was skinny with glasses, and just being a total jerk. I didn't even say anything to start him off, either. He just started right away. Well I held my tongue, because I knew I wasn't going to sink to his level of retarded, but the 3 guys next to him in line, 3 big guys, finally just said "Hey man! Shut the *bleeping McBleep* up! This kids has been nothing but nice to you. Now take your food, go sit down and eat and get out."

The guy that was being a jerk shut right up, and suddenly decided to get his food 'to go'.
I gave the 3 guys a big 'thanks' and 15% off their meal (The most I could give at the time).

 

[TheSeventhLoneWolf]

My manners are always about me outside the home. I've never had this problem.

 

[Gildan Bladeborn]

I'm a remarkably polite individual - or at least I appear to be, mwaa ha ha ha! See, the truth is I'm almost always being sarcastic, I just deliver my sarcasm in tones of complete sincerity, using subtle back-handed compliments so it's harder to detect.

If you observe me in action long enough you can tell when somebody is aggravating me by how polite I'm being juxtaposed by the inventive ways I'm suggesting that the offending party is a moron.

Using your vocabulary for evil is surprisingly fun.

 

[astrav1]

You should still say please just in case.

 

[ThreeWords]

Stupid people form olden times, coming here and taking our jobs. Someone oughta do something about it!

DEY TUK URR JUUBZZ!

honestly though, if the question is delivered with a sincere underlying request for help, rather than taking the help for granted then I don't see the problem, "could I borrow you for a second" sounds a hell of a lot like please to me, so I don't see the problem with it!

Couldn't agree more. It's tone, attitude and sincerity that matter, not wording.

That said, it's hard to take "Hey dickhead, help me out with this fucking computer, it's being a bastard" well, but I suppose in the context of banter between friends, where you maker a joke of insulting each other, it would be fine

 

[ThreeWords]

Stupid people form olden times, coming here and taking our jobs. Someone oughta do something about it!

DEY TUK URR JUUBZZ!

honestly though, if the question is delivered with a sincere underlying request for help, rather than taking the help for granted then I don't see the problem, "could I borrow you for a second" sounds a hell of a lot like please to me, so I don't see the problem with it!

Couldn't agree more. It's tone, attitude and sincerity that matter, not wording.

That said, it's hard to take "Hey dickhead, help me out with this fucking computer, it's being a bastard" well, but I suppose in the context of banter between friends, where you maker a joke of insulting each other, it would be fine

 

[The DSM]

Im completetly monotone, no one knows if im being sarcastic or not, its a blessing in a curse.

 

[Nigh Invulnerable]

A good 'please' can help things, but I personally don't always use it because I prefer the sincere polite request. Please is just kind of an artifact of younger days.

 

[Penguinishka]

Haven't run into someone like that in a while, possibly not since my grandma.
I don't see why you couldn't/wouldn't say please. It's not like it's going to kill you(as far as I know anyway) but I also really don't expect it in my everyday existence. As long as you're not a total jerk face I could really care less.
I guess pleasantries have somehow become obsolete in our day and age. I'll still use them but I don't ever expect others to.

 

[Spirultima]

Well you COULD have said "Please" the first time around, but her response was less then admirable.

 

[LostintheWick]

Based off of the poll, it looks like you win. At least among your fellow peers.

These time traveling wenches need to get with the time. They're sticking out like sore thumbs. Aren't the time police supposed to do something about this?

 

[xplay3r]

Wow, there's still people like that around?

I thought they all died around 1930...

They developed time-machines then. Didn't you know? Tons of them got into our time.

Stupid people form olden times, coming here and taking our jobs. Someone oughta do something about it!

DEY TOOK R JAAAABBSSS!!!!


OT:But yeah I don't mind if someone doesn't say please, as long as they're being nice about it, if someone is being a dick, forget it, I ain't doin nothing for them, but yeah I'd rather be asked nicely then sarcaticly with please thrown in there. I like it when people say please, but I don't care if someone doesn't automaticly added it to a nice question.

Thank you's are diffrent though, if I go outta my way to help you and you can't even acknowlage it, you've a dick and I ain't doin nothin for you again. Like when you hold the door open for one person, they walk through without saying a word, not even noticing you're doing something nice, then 18 other people waltz through without even relizing you're there. At a certain point I just let the door go, walk away, and hopes it hits them in the face.

 

[Kasawd]

I prefer someone to be straight up with their request. If someone attaches that much sarcasm to it, they ain't gettin' what they want.

 

[MrDarkling]

I'm not sure why, but doesn't saying please sound slightly childish to anyone but me?
A heartfelt request with no pleasantries ftw.

agreed, please just seems cheesy.

It's very clear that this woman is so dim minded that she can't seem to acknowledge a pleasant tone and so therefore must add the word please on the end of a sentence to satisfy her, quite pathetic.

 

[General Vagueness]

It was really ingrained into me growing up to always say please and thank you so I almost always do, I'm not sure what else to say.