On the use of the word 'please' in the Patterverse.

[dreadedcandiru2]

The interesting thing about the recent strip in which super-fragile Elly thinks it's the end of the world because John doesn't say please when asking for the instruments he needs remind us of a very interesting fact: the Pattersons actually do seem to use the word in a reasonable facsimile of when they should. They may never thank people or apologize but they do actually spend the time saying please.

That being said, Mike and the kids use the word when it might be somewhat less than appropriate. As history teaches us, there are an awful lot of strips that have Michael (and to a lesser extent, Lizzie and April) ask a rage-faced Elly not to pleeeeeeeeeeeease turn down a very reasonable request. This works not at all because she needs to keep the kids from running over her and becoming the boss of her and keeping her from living her life and all the other panicky, stupid and petty excuses she uses to justify why she'd rather look cruel and unfair than weak. She sees a horrible child trying to run the house and keep her down. We see an angry idiot tormenting a child for a discreditable and laughable reason. I tend to prefer our take on events.