Yes, being too polite can be dangerous! Someone who is going to harm you is going to look for someone who they can take advantage of. An attacker is not looking for a challenge but rather an easy victim.

If someone offers you help and you feel uncomfortable or your intuition kicks in, say "NO". If they keep persisting, they are ignoring the answer you just gave them. Do not feel obligated to accept someone's help and if they try to make you feel guilty, this just confirms your intuition to begin with. We teach children that they must be polite to adults. This is wrong and could be potentially dangerous.

Teach children, teens and adults to trust their inner voice or intuition. I would much rather offend a complete stranger than have something dangerous happen to me because I felt like they had to be polite to this person. Again, if someone ignores you saying "NO", they are trying to control you somehow. The word "no" is a complete sentence.

I recommend when you need help to ask for it rather than have someone offer help to you. If you choose the person you ask for help there is very little chance of anything dangerous happening. I also suggest that women offer women help. Women are much more likely to be harmed by a male than some woman who has offered assistance. Being polite is nice but being too polite can just be dangerous.

In closing, always trust your intuition. I would much rather get out of a situation feeling foolish and be able to laugh about it later.