Quick: What is your gut reaction to the words “Please don’t make me”? Don’t analyze and intellectualize it, don’t play devil’s advocate, just think about a pleading voice saying “please don’t make me…” Does it bring to mind happiness, fun, and joking around? To me, it conjures up images of rape, prisoners, child molestation, abductions, and worse (if there can be any worse…).
Ah but Apple seems to think it’s all fun and games with Siri, their voice-recognition iPhone ‘person.’ Among many questionable programming ‘response’ choices they have made a fun little game of badgering her with questions about herself. If you get demanding enough in shouting “tell me about yourself!” you can force her to say “please don’t make me…”
To the inevitable backlash from commenters who will say “get a life, it’s just a joke, lighten up, they’re just having fun” I simply ask – is that a hilarious, jolly phrase to force out of anything, electronic or living, male or female, young or old? If so, please let the rest of us in on the joke, because I don’t think anyone who has ever had to say those words finds much humor in them.
Reel Girl 