Most of this is only true for Anglo-Saxon values of politeness, which many other cultures will see as insincere, fake, cold, manipulative and even downright ins

Most of this is only true for Anglo-Saxon values of politeness, which many other cultures will see as insincere, fake, cold, manipulative and even downright insulting. This may not apply to the author, who writes "I am often consumed with a sense of overwhelming love and empathy", but certainly to the vast majority of people who don't have such extreme levels of empathy but use the same tactics. Yes, like many people I will fall for the "that sounds hard" trick, but if I see you pull that multiple times I'll file you under "manipulative cunt" unless I have a good reason to assume you're that one in a million who actually gives a fuck. Because most of us really, really don't.