Nowadays everyone is a little afraid of the government employees — sure, not everyone gives into that fear and cowers before them, but still ... If you are dealing with the Registry of Motor Vehicles, do you try very hard not to upset the lady on the other side of the counter? If a cop is being a jerk, do you say, “You’re a jerk!”? The public servants are our masters and we fear their bad moods.
I have only gone so far as to say, “None of your business” to cops who ask me things despite the answers being none of their business. I do honk at them on occasion, considering they blatantly break traffic laws near me for no apparent reason.