"Jose" wrote in message
m...
"Please" and "thank you" are metaphorically "magic words" because by using
those words, people respond differently than when the same situation is
presented, but without these words. They are (of course) not =really=
magical and do not invoke the other world, but because they are powerful
social lubricants, they have been given this metaphorical moniker.

Can I add one to the list: "sir" (or "ma'am" counts too). As in "XX radar,
good morning sir, G-ABCD, PA-28 blah, blah, blah ...".

I remember waiting for another pilot to belt up so I could get in on the
radio and ask for a clearance. The other guy was being downright rude and
awkward, demanding stuff from the controller, and it was clear that the
controller wasn't having any of it. Eventually I chimed in with a cheery "XX
radar, good morning sir, ..." and asked for (and got) precisely what the
other guy had been declined (can't remember what now). There may, of course,
have been some condition that prevented the controller from granting what
the other guy had asked for, and that condition had ceased to exist in the
couple of minutes since he asked for it, but I like to think it was because
I was nice to the controller :-)

D.