If I understand this correctly, the polite request is meant to be passive aggressive flattery and the outright demand is the honest tone that gets to the point. I think in written form I prefer the polite request to avoid panicking immediately. In person, I’d panic anyway. So I prefer the outright demand, because I can’t handle passive aggressive attacks at all. Usually I’ll reflect their politeness before I understand the matter and then when they assume that I’m not taking it seriously, they get more intense which scares me long-term.
EDIT: No, actually, forget it. I’d prefer the outright demand even in written form. I get chills when I think about encounters with passive aggressive demands…
Be honest and open. I might punch you in the face for threatening me, but you shouldn’t go around threatening people now should you?
I prefer clarity.
I feel like the results/consequences are the same and that’s what I’m against.
Like you’re in a slasher but pretend you’re in a hallmark.
Both of those are demands.
Who is that
Death penalty is wrong.
Replace death with any heavy executive-issued penalty. The point here is the polite-implicit vs the impolite-explicit. (Ok i reworded it)
“Hi! Please put all your candy in the bag, or I’ll smash your pumpkins”
vs.
“Give me the candy or I’ll smash your pumpkins”
?? Is that what you’re asking?
Is there any backstory to your request?
It’s more like “trick or treat” vs “candy or we egg this joint”.
The one is social accepted, polite, and doesn’t overtly state an intention to harm but it does imply it. The other is exactly the same, but it’s direct, no implication, just one or the other.
Another example would be “you gotta pay us for protection, you wouldn’t want anything to happen while you’re here.” Vs. " Pay up or we cut you".
No, it’s “please give me your candy” (with the implied threat). Vs “give me your candy or I’ll smash”.
(Also, I reworded the post because you people are so literal and easily distracted.)
Probably the second (unless it’s something as common as trick or treat) as the implication may not hit me until later. You also have to judge the likelihood of follow thru- like when a kid get threatened with forever grounding.
Good luck with your research.
The point here is the polite-implicit vs the impolite-explicit.
But there is no politeness in threatening.
