I generally try to be polite, show some manners, and treat people very respectfully. I rarely say anything without a "please" or a "thank you" or a "I'm sorry."
That all being said, I have a LOT to learn in dealing with people who are disrespectful of others. And I mean A LOT to learn.
Example: my wife and I were walking through a cross walk and a car drove right through it right in front of us. So my stupid ass banged on the car with my hand as it passed through. The car parked a few feet down on the curb and they guy said "what the hell were you doing banging on my car?" I said "I couldn't have banged on your car, because if I did that then you must have been driving through the crosswalk while we were walking through it and that would be illegal, and you wouldn't do that would you? Should I call the cops and ask them to sort this out?" and held up my phone.
The guy walked away.
Some would say this was not escalation, but there's NO DOUBT that my banging on the car was and I think my commentary was benign compared to banging on the mans car -- THAT was a mistake.
The point is, I try to be polite and courteous and most would say I am one of the most polite people they meet. I've had counter employees say just that "you are so polite. THANK you." But I also tend to get WAY to far out of shape when other people aren't polite back. I'm less uptight when people act rudely toward me, and WAY too upset when it's directed at others, my family, or people I don't even know.
I need to keep that in check. It's not like I'm going to teach anyone manners standing in the middle of the street on a busy afternoon.
So, I guess I guess what will continue to dictate my relations with strangers is my self-obsession, (almost borderline O.C.D.) with being polite and courteous. I think including a "please," and a "thank you," and "sir" or "ma'am" can go a long way to eliminating any kind of escalation. I think I just need to remember that I can't teach someone else manners (I haven't even managed to get my kids to say "thank you" as often as they should) and it's not my job to. The best I can do is set an example.