There's like three different ingratiating maneuvers in those phrases... another overlaying of prepping-you-to-go-along speech pattern. Yankees I met just hated that construction, especially Bostonians. Dunno why it bugged 'em so much.)
Your clue here is the "setting up for agreement" part of the construction: to me, it reads as screamingly passive-aggressive, and my instant response is, "Just ask me to do xyz, don't try to manipulate me into doing it." For someone of my background (Upper Midwestern and New York City) the direct approach is the polite one.
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Date: 13 Jan 2011 02:57 pm (UTC)Your clue here is the "setting up for agreement" part of the construction: to me, it reads as screamingly passive-aggressive, and my instant response is, "Just ask me to do xyz, don't try to manipulate me into doing it." For someone of my background (Upper Midwestern and New York City) the direct approach is the polite one.