Did you ever think you would find yourself talking to an inanimate object?  Yelling at the TV is one thing or kicking the car in frustration.  But talking to an inanimate object that talks back and answers questions like “What’s the weather today?” or “What was the score of the Red Sox game?” and expecting it to answer in a sultry, human voice?  You can even ask personal questions like, “What are you wearing?” or “What is the meaning of life?” and get answers.

We strove to get our children to use the ‘magic word‘ when they asked for things like “Please, can I stay up?” or “Please, can I have ice cream?” rather than just demanding.  But children are human after all.  These talking objects are . . . objects?  Even if they don’t sound like objects and who knows what they are really listening to.

And what about the other bit of manners like “thank you” or “you’re welcome”?  When I thank one of these objects the voice inside never says “you’re welcome”.

So are these machines eliminating one more layer of manners like men removing their hats or caps when they come indoors or walking on the street side of their female companion?  Will people just be ordering each other around, never using the magic word?  Or is the line between animate and inanimate intelligence clear enough that it won’t cause a problem?

Words like please and thank you help to make the social world we cohabit friendlier.  They show respect.  We seem to be eliminating many levels of politeness, respect, and privacy while we have created recording devices that don’t forget anything. (You can burn a box of private letters but email is there . . . somewhere . . . forever.)  Is that really okay?  It takes a little effort to say please, or acknowledge a little respect with thank you, but that seems like a small price to pay for a civil society.  As Emily Post said, “Etiquette is the science of living.  It embraces everything.  It is ethics.  It is honor.”