There are people out there who will take your politeness and use it against you like a weapon. Telemarketers, for one. The only way to get off the phone is to interrupt them and unilaterally end the conversation.<p>Fake monks are another good example. They ask you a question, like &quot;what do you want most in the world,&quot; which you answer just to be polite. They then write your answer on a token, and give it to you. You feel obligated to accept it because they made it just for you. Then, they ask for a donation in return for the gift you just accepted. Again you feel obligated, this time because you accepted their gift.<p>The entire thing depends on your polite response to each of their actions. Unless you know where they&#x27;re going with this, it&#x27;s impossible to politely escape. By the time I was handing over the money, I <i>knew</i> it was a scam and I still gave them $10 because I felt stupid.<p>While I have never personally had cause to be impolite during my professional work, sometimes politeness is an improper response.