Line #414 Main/BreakThemByTalking


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7	[[quoteright:350:[[Webcomic/QuestionableContent https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/break_them.png]] ]]
8	[[caption-width-right:350:[[ArmorPiercingQuestion Her words hurt far worse]] than the NeckLift.]]
9
10	->'''Shinji''': How much did you actually tell my father, anyway?\
11	'''Rei''': Few details. Only that everything he had worked towards and everything he had put myself and his only son through had been for nothing, and that he would die alone and unmourned, rejected by the only person he had ever truly loved.
12	-->-- ''Fanfic/DoingItRightThisTime''
13
14	When one character gives a talk to another that does or is meant to somehow break down the recipient or gain a psychological advantage over them by claiming uncomfortable things that they cannot deny.
15
16	Also known as a Breaking Speech or Breaking Lecture.[[note]]Mainly so that there's a term that can handily replace "HannibalLecture" where editors have used that incorrectly; see below for the difference.[[/note]]
17
18	This is often achieved by a kind of TheReasonYouSuckSpeech, telling the other character how pathetic they are or perhaps how guilty of something terrible, perhaps a NotSoDifferentRemark from someone unpalatable, but there are other ways of breaking someone down by talking. You could for example instead deconstruct the world, other characters, or their relationship with the victim. The important part is that they can't deny your words, at least not in the heat of the moment, and you gain a psychological advantage over them. [[VillainsNeverLie Uncomfortable truths]] (or at least [[MetaphoricallyTrue half-truths]]) and logical arguments are effective for making claims hard to deny, but hitting emotional weak spots is also important and can work even if your statements are not truly reasonable.
19
20	Results, when successful, range from the mere chance of getting to smirk in a satisfied way for rattling someone in an otherwise superior position; through distracting or demoralizing an opponent to make them easier to beat; to bringing about BreakTheCutie, HeroicBSOD, VillainousBreakdown or even FaceHeelTurn, MoreThanMindControl, or DrivenToSuicide. The most extreme form would be MindRape by just talking, but be wary of automatically calling ''every'' instance of Breaking Them by Talking that.
21
22	Obviously, this is easier to pull off from a relative position of power, such as when you have just defeated someone, or when [[PerpSweating interrogating a prisoner]], but it goes both ways. It's even more impressive when someone manages to turn the tables on someone who was in a superior position. When this is done by one being interrogated -- and ''only'' then -- it's the HannibalLecture. Naturally, in between these cases, there is the one where both parties start out on an equal footing.
23
24	Note that a lot of this hinges on the victim actually caring about what you have to say, or otherwise respecting you enough to take your opinion seriously. If the victim is TooDumbToFool, or simply doesn't care about your opinion, then all you're likely to get for your trouble is laughter or a blank stare.
25
26	Some good tropes to use in the Breaking Speech include BrutalHonesty, CowardiceCallout, NotSoDifferentRemark, TomatoInTheMirror, and TheyDiedBecauseOfYou -- and most things under PersonalHorror.
27
28	As stated above, there is frequent overlap with TheReasonYouSuckSpeech, but the concepts are not the same. "The Reason You Suck" Speech is about ''what you say'', this is about ''what you do by saying it''. You can tell someone they suck without breaking them down or even intending to do so, particularly if you're just annoyed, and you can break someone down without telling them why they suck.
29
30	The distilled version of this is the ArmorPiercingQuestion. If the declarations used as a weapon come from simple clues, this is a form of SherlockScan. Some characters have the ability to do this as a superpower, which may be an example of AwesomeByAnalysis. Can be done as part of EvilGloating. ShutUpHannibal is a way of countering this trope. The opposite effect is done by a NoMoreHoldingBackSpeech, when the hero tells about ''his own'' flaws and how they don't matter now. The reverse or "good counterpart" is the KirkSummation or TalkingTheMonsterToDeath. HannibalLecture is a specific subtrope.
31
32	For examples of ''literally'' breaking someone by talking, see WeaponsGradeVocabulary or SuperScream. Works using this trope may discuss ThePowerOfLanguage.
33
34	See also: ToThePain, TalkingYourWayOut, JustBetweenYouAndMe, AndThenWhat, VerbalJudo.
35	----
36	!!Example subpages:
37
38	[[index]]
39	* BreakThemByTalking/AnimeAndManga
40	* BreakThemByTalking/ComicBooks
41	* BreakThemByTalking/FanWorks
42	* BreakThemByTalking/{{Film}}
43	* BreakThemByTalking/{{Literature}}
44	* BreakThemByTalking/LiveActionTV
45	* BreakThemByTalking/VideoGames
46	* BreakThemByTalking/{{Webcomics}}
47	* BreakThemByTalking/WesternAnimation
48	[[/index]]
49
50	!!Other examples:
51
52	[[foldercontrol]]
53
54	[[folder:Music]]
55	* Proto Man attempts this twice, unsuccessfully, in Music/TheMegas' ''History Repeating'' double album. It earns him a ShutUpHannibal the first time, in "History Repeating, Part 2 (One More Time)", and Mega Man ([[AmbiguousSituation probably]][[note]]the song can also be interpreted as being from Gamma's perspective[[/note]]) goes so far as to throw the same move back at him after the second attempt in "Make Your Choice".
56	-->'''Proto Man:''' Why do we fight? How can you say you know what's right? So what if we win? What if we fall? Does any choice that we make matter at all? ("History Repeating, Part 2")\
57	'''Mega Man:''' And what of you? The shadows can't hide the rage in your steel. [[ArmorPiercingQuestion You say you don't care at all, but if he died, tell me, would you feel?]] You wait for the choice to be made; [[UnfulfilledPurposeMisery you're afraid your purpose has been taken away]]. [[LastSecondChance If you come with me, I can show you the way...]]
58	[[/folder]]
59
60	[[folder:Pro Wrestling]]
61	* Wrestling/{{Raven}} was well-known for delivering these to his opponents in order to demoralize them.
62	* Wrestling/ShawnMichaels was a regular recipient of these speeches, particularly in the later parts of his career once he turned perma-face, but he usually interrupted them with [[ShutUpHannibal Sweet Chin Music]]. Occasionally, after knocking his lecturer out cold, he'd deliver his own over their unconscious (or at least stunned) body. (If it's done to someone unconscious, it can't really qualify for the trope.) He was particularly fond of doing this to Wrestling/ChrisJericho.
63	** Back in his heel days, he used to hand them out himself like party favors. Even as a face, he'd break them out occasionally, and he's the one guy ever who could get away with throwing them at Wrestling/TheUndertaker.
64	* Wrestling/VinGerard performed a number of these on Wrestling/ShaneStorm -- playing off Storm's betrayal of the technicos by selling out the counter to the Chikara Special (a Chikara MoralEventHorizon if there ever was one) and then twisting his world on its axis as Vin thanked him for it. Ended with Storm 'transforming' into the rudo STIGMA, dropping the color from his outfits, the bright mullet becoming a black mohawk and joining with Vin Gerard and Colin Delaney to become the [=UnStable=].
65	** Then inverted when Vin tries the same thing on Wrestling/{{Jigsaw\|Wrestling}}, who had removed his mask elsewhere and hadn't been seen in Chikara for a year. Vin said that he'd never seen the boys in the back as angry at anyone as they were at Jigsaw ("No matter what I did, ''I'' never had to buy a ticket!") and there was no way to get back on their good side -- Jigsaw might as well join the [=UnStable=]. Jigsaw responded with superkicks.
66	* Wrestling/ChrisJericho. Back in 2008 and early 2009 when everyone took his heel character completely seriously, Jericho would do this weekly. They rarely worked, but they were awesome.
67	* Wrestling/CMPunk in his Straight Edge persona. He is so awesome that he can actually give these while he's in the middle of a match.
68	** Punk also delivered brilliant ones to Wrestling/JohnCena and Wrestling/VinceMcMahon after his infamous pipebomb. So much that Cena responded with a punch and Vince responded to his demands in vigor.
69	-->'''Vince:''' I apologize, you [[PrecisionFStrike son of a bitch]]!
70	[[/folder]]
71
72	[[folder:Radio]]
73	* Brilliantly used in ''That Mitchell and Webb Sound'', a radio programme. In multiple segments, Webb's character insults a woman's dress sense, weight or intelligence, eventually turning into a full-blown Breaking Speech. When the woman has been reduced to a wreck, Webb asks for a date, to cheer the woman up.
74	[[/folder]]
75
76	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
77	* ''TabletopGame/ChroniclesOfDarkness'' sourcebook ''Slasher'' (which deals with [[SlasherMovie exactly what you think it does]]) has this as a talent of the Genius Undertaking and its natural progression, the Maniac. The Genius has the ability to instinctively profile anyone and learn what facts they'd ''hate'' to have revealed. The Maniac uses this knowledge to ''always'' have advantage over a certain target, and, with time, to convert the target to his point of view (a la [[Franchise/{{Saw}} Jigsaw]]).
78	* Since ''TabletopGame/{{Mythender}}'' runs on RuleOfCool and has very abstract fighting rules, it's perfectly possible to launch attacks that consist of berating and condemning an enemy and have them suffer injury because of it. In other words, you might actually ''talk the very gods to death.''
79	* On the (very) few occasions when the Dark Powers of ''TabletopGame/{{Ravenloft}}'' have apparently communicated directly to anyone, it's been to do this to a potential darklord, delivered in familiar voices. Strahd heard the voices of Tatyana and Sergei taunting him, while Azalin heard the voices of his son and his mentor in wizardry.
80	* Sith Lords in the ''TabletopGame/StarWarsD20'' game have a power that lets them do this more effectively.
81	[[/folder]]
82
83	[[folder:Theatre]]
84	* ''Theatre/SeventeenSeventySix'': Rutledge breaks them by singing. "Molasses to Rum" has him vividly act out the process of the slave trade from Boston to Africa to the Caribbean and plantations, highlighting both the horrors of it and the hypocrisy of the Northern states in decrying it when their own citizens profit considerably. When he leaves (with all the Southern states), the independence faction is devastated and have no choice but to accept the deletion of the anti-slavery clause despite Adams' prediction that it would [[UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar come back to haunt them]].
85	* ''Theatre/TheBoysInTheBand''. Harold destroys Michael with a thorough undressing TheReasonYouSuckSpeech at the end.
86	* In ''Man of La Mancha'' the Knight of the Mirrors does this to Don Quixote, explaining to him in unpleasant terms how the world sees him and using a number of minions carrying full length mirrors to prove it. (It is worth noting that he does not do this in the book, which is why this entry appears in the theater section)
87	* In ''Theatre/{{JB}}'', Nickles/Satan's last attempt to corrupt Job is to paint the bit at the end -- where J.B. gets all his fortunes back -- as actually the cruelest torment of all; that God could ruin his life, and then just put it all back together again because the whole "Take away your fortunes, kill your children, and cover you in boils" thing was just a bit of a lark. When J.B. points out that his children are ''dead'', Satan dismissively says, "You'll have better ones!", mocking the notion that everything could really be put right just like that.
88	* The ''Theatre/MrsHawking'' play series: In part V: ''Mrs. Frost'', what the titular character tries to do after she's captured Nathaniel. She has done enough research to probe all his fears and insecurities.
89	[[/folder]]
90
91	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
92	* [[GadgeteerGenius Miu Iruma]] in ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaSUltimateSummerCamp'' is on the receiving end of two, courtesy of "hard head" ([[ClassRepresentative Kiyotaka Ishimaru]]). For example, if she addresses him when saying that she would rather make an invention that brushes teeth while the user is asleep than think of ideas to unlock new potential for her talent, Taka will scold her to tears.
93	-->'''Miu:''' Fuckin' plebs think they can mock me? New potential my shapely genius girl ass! I'd rather develop an invention that brushes your teeth while you sleep! You got a problem, hard head!?\
94	'''Taka:''' Hard head... A-Are you addressing me?\
95	'''Miu:''' Who else do you think? I just know you're getting hard from head to toe with me standing here!\
96	'''Taka:''' For the love of... I won't tolerate this! As a member of the morals committee, I have a bone to pick with you! Your behavior has gone too far!\
97	'''Miu:''' Oh, I bet you have a bone to pick. You're just dying to spank this naughty ass, aren't you? Stop making things so hard! Your head's hard enough. Both of 'em. Fuckin' virgin.\
98	'''Taka:''' Enough, I say! Besides, an invention to use while you're asleep? Your ideas are the epitome of lazy!\
99	'''Miu:''' B-But that's my greatest invention to date...\
100	'''Taka:''' And you tried to ignore the camp's assignment! Why would you waste such a valuable opportunity!?\
101	'''Miu:''' Because nobody understands my talent...\
102	'''Taka:''' All you do is rely on your talents. Don't you find that pathetic!? You should reflect on that!\
103	'''Miu:''' sob Y-You don't have to shout...
104	* Something like this is implied to have happened offscreen in ''VisualNovel/DokiDokiLiteratureClub'', though the details are never explained. [[spoiler: When Sayori's depression is reaching its climax, shortly before she's DrivenToSuicide, and she talks about how it would be better if she just disappeared, she says "[[BitchInSheepsClothing Monika]] was right. I should just..." but refuses to explain further. Additionally her last poem, which is practically a suicide note, contains the line "Get out of my head before I listen to everything she said to me."]]
105	** This is made even HarsherInHindsight (even though it would certainly seem to be as bad as it can get already) in ''[[UpdatedRerelease DDLC+]]'' when a prequel side story, which has a lot of potential to be a TearJerker and SugarWiki/CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming by itself, shows that [[spoiler: before Monika [[GoMadFromTheRevelation had her mind shattered]], she was the first person Sayori trusted enough to open up about her depressive feelings.]]
106	* In ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyTrialsAndTribulations'', [[spoiler:Mia Fey]] delivers one of these to [[spoiler:the possessing spirit of Dahlia Hawthorne, pointing out that every single EvilPlan she's made has resulted in failure and shame, including the one that she made ''from beyond the grave''. The Fey/Wright clan has always been there to stop her and as a ghost she's doomed to eternal failure.]] This revelation horrifies her so much that [[spoiler:it winds up exorcising Dahlia from Maya's body completely.]]
107	[[/folder]]
108
109	[[folder:Web Original]]
110	* The Auditor's favourite tactic in ''Roleplay/{{AJCO}}''. She's only had the chance to use it on two people -- A_J, repeatedly, and Egg -- but she left both in tears. Until that point, A_J had ''never'' been seen weeping.
111	* In the ''WebAnimation/CampCamp'' Season 1 finale, it seems as though David's overly happy-go-lucky spirit has finally been shattered, to Max's absolute delight. As he desperately tries to light a symbolic bonfire that's important to him in the middle of a thunderstorm, Max goes in to lay the final blow:
112	--> '''Max''': Do you really think a big campfire and some outdated, honestly kind of racist tradition is going to make anyone care about anything? No one gives a shit, David. Nobody want to be here! It's like you live in this stupid make-believe world where "everything's great!" The universe doesn't work that way, idiot! Just look around! It's what I've been trying to show you since day one! Life sucks. And we live in a world of desensitized, apathetic assholes. Why don't you just get with the program and stop giving a shit...
113	** To which David immediate [[ArmorPiercingResponse turns the tables]] on Max by answering:
114	--> '''David''': Because [[TheAntiNihilist somebody]] [[PrecisionFStrike fucking]] has to.
115	* ''Literature/CanYouSpareAQuarter'': Graham drives a security guard who is after Jamie away by claiming that the boy is his son and by implying that he can get the security guard sacked. Jamie is impressed that a small man like Graham can scare away a large security guard without any violence or threat thereof.
116	* ''WebVideo/DreamMachine'': In episode 1.04, ''[[https://youtu.be/lNl2qhc6RuA The Opposite of People]]'', Josie gets Leah to finally work on her character with her by refusing to shut up and leave her alone.
117	* This is how [[spoiler:Elias Bouchard]] operates in ''Podcast/TheMagnusArchives''. He peers into people's minds to find what would disturb and hurt them the most, then tortures them by speaking of it as cruelly as possible before directly planting feelings and images in their heads. His victims are often to the point of breaking before he ever plants anything in their mind.
118	* In ''WebVideo/ThePenguinsOfMadagascarOperationNWord'', Skipper points out to UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump that his EvilPlan of [[GrandTheftMe taking over]] UsefulNotes/BarackObama's body in order to gain NWordPrivileges means that he's technically inside of another man, which makes him gay. Donald Trump reacts by having a seemingly-fatal VillainousBreakdown.
119	* In Literature/SagaOfSoul, [[LegionsOfHell Downfall]] does it to [[MagicalGirl Eriko]]. [[spoiler:[[EpiphanyTherapy To put it mildly]], it [[NiceJobFixingItVillain backfired]].]]
120	* In ''WebVideo/SwordArtOnlineAbridged'', Rosalia does this to Kirito as a pre-battle tactic. [[GoneHorriblyRight Unfortunately for her, it backfires spectacularly]]; while it indeed gets to him, it changes him from JerkAss DeadpanSnarker to a LaughingMad PsychopathicManchild... and he's a long time player of the videogame they're trapped in, so he's waaaaaay past her level in terms of sheer stats. [[CurbStompBattle It ends quickly after that.]]
121	* A hilarious example from {{Website/Tumblr}} [[http://www.strangebeaver.com/2013/10/tumblr-tuesday-10-8/ in the comments of a photo of]] [[ItMakesSenseInContext someone drinking Diet Coke out of a bag]]:
122	-->'''totheinternetandbeyond:''' I lost the cap to a soda bottle\
123	'''wecanbreatheinouterspace:''' [[TemptingFate Then you're fucking stupid. If you can't drink a soda without a cap, then you're fucking stupid.]]\
124	'''totheinternetandbeyond:''' [[SuddenlyShouting LISTEN HERE YOU LITTLE SHIT.]] I COULDN'T FIND THE CAP TO AN ALMOST FULL 2 LITER BOTTLE OF DIET COKE. I WASN'T ABOUT TO DRINK THE WHOLE GOD DAMN THING ON THE SPOT. I DON'T EVEN LIKE DIET COKE THAT MUCH. IF I PUT IT IN THE FRIDGE IN THE BOTTLE IT WOULD HAVE GONE FLAT [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech SO DON'T FUCKING CALL ME STUPID.]] [[BadassBoast I AM THE FUTURE.]]
125	* In {{Literature/Worm}}, this is frequently aided by mental powers:
126	** Tattletale can do this due to her power. It doesn't matter who you are, if you can hear her, she will get to you. For this reason Armsmaster has some of his team wear earplugs when fighting her and she's frequently targeted first in fights.
127	** Jack Slash is a master at this, and it's his ability to get into people's heads and break them apart that is considered his most dangerous ability (his actual superpower, extending the cutting edge of blades, isn't much in comparison). [[spoiler:It eventually turns out that his ability to break people IS actually a superpower, just an application of his power that's so subtle and non-obvious that nobody, not even he, is aware that it's a superpower.]]
128	** Contessa and [[spoiler: Scion]] are even more capable at this. Contessa made [[spoiler:Bonesaw perform a HeelFaceTurn with a short conversation]].[[spoiler:Scion]] made [[spoiler: Eidolon]] depressed to the point where he let himself be killed with 4 words. In their case, it's not really any level of skill on their part: their power just told them ''exactly'' what they had to say to manipulate their targets.
129	* In ''WebAnimation/XRayAndVav'', [[spoiler:The Mad King]] uses this to rattle the bonds between our heroes. While it seems that Vav isn't too bothered by it, X-Ray is frightened, thinking that Vav is going to focus everything on his reporter LoveInterest.
130	* In Episode 81 of ''WebVideo/YuGiOhTheAbridgedSeries,'' Dartz calls Yami out for his callous treatment of his friends. [[spoiler:It works as Yami almost succumbs to the Seal of Orichalcos.]]
131	--> '''Dartz:''' Look at youwself! Look at everything you've dooone! You got a second chance at wahf! Oh! And how do you choose to spend it? Beating people in games y'already good at, and telling them how much they soock.
132	--> '''Yami:''' It's not my fault if they refuse to git gud.
133	--> '''Dartz:''' I know you're wight, but what is your fauwt is the way you take your fwends for gwanted or, oh, oh, do you even think of them as your fwewends?
134	--> '''Yami:''' Of course I--
135	--> '''Dartz:''' Oh, right, you can't even defend yoursewf! Not once have you taken the tahm to appweciate everything they've done for you, how patient dey' been. You're too busy calling Twistan stupaad, or Téa a slooot, or insulting the person whose body you now inhabit.
136	--> '''Yami:''' Yugi...
137	--> '''Dartz:''' Aww, that's the truth, though, Phawowoaoh. No Orichalcamalos magic, no bullshit powers. You're no hewo. You don't even deserve those fwends you surround yourself with. And you certainly don't deserve to keep wiving in Yugaay Muh-to's body. Just give it up. It's easier than fightin' the twuth.
138	[[/folder]]
139
140	[[folder:Real Life]]
141	* Nikita Khrushchev's "[[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2006/feb/26/russia.theobserver Secret Speech]]". At the time, the impact on the delegates was immediate. Soviet sources now say some were so convulsed as they listened that they suffered heart attacks; others committed suicide afterwards.
142	* A series of independent experiments carried out by a sadistic Harvard psychology professor named Henry Murray in the 1960s could be counted as an extreme (and, as it turned out, extremely unfortunate) real-life example of Breaking Them by Talking. University students were instructed to write an essay summarizing their personal philosophy on life and underlying principles, then went into a room expecting to debate philosophy with a fellow student. They instead faced an interrogation by a far more experienced opponent, whose sole purpose was to attack and ridicule their beliefs at length. Since one of the main goals of the experiment was to induce stress and upset the subject as much as possible, it's not surprising that many students came out feeling traumatized. One of them, a student by the name of Ted Kaczynski, eventually went completely over the edge (for this reason or some other) and became ''the Unabomber''.
143	** Murray had worked with the CIA in developing a test that tested pilots' wills, preventing them from possibly being brainwashed if captured. He decided to "fine tune" his technique using students as test subjects, but really, the guy was a sadist who [[ForTheEvulz got off on this sort of thing]]. WNYC's Radio Lab covered this story in one of their pieces titled "Oops".
144	* A favorite technique of many {{Troll}}s is to hurt people in chatrooms and the like with offensive language.
145	* In the documentary, ''I, Psychopath'', diagnosed {{Narcissist}} Sam Vaknin subjects the filmmaker to these during most of the filming. The [[TheWoobie filmmaker]] almost has a nervous breakdown.
146	* Many gay men, especially drag queens, have perfected the XanatosSpeedChess variation of this called "the read", being able to assess someone quickly and jab them precisely.
147	** Creator/MargaretCho describes the process on her album ''Assassin'':
148	--> (sassy voice) When you read somebody, what you are doing is you slowly chip away at their self esteem, but you do so in such a subtle manner they have no idea what is happening to them; they are simply overwhelmed by a sense of dread.
149	** Of course, [[HeteronormativeCrusader anti-LGBT forces]] who are aware of this technique can resist it using anti-mind game techniques. They can even turn the tables by casting doubts on the compatibility between the causes of the homosexual and transgender movements as well as the future of both movements.
150	* Sadly, some parents, teachers, and caregivers (i.e., at daycare centers, or even babysitters) have done this to their offspring/students/charges, unwittingly or not.
151	** Emotional and psychological abuse has this as a staple. The abuser will resort to things like insults, dares, and taunts that prey on the victim's fears, insecurities, etc. As one might expect, this can cause the victim to have difficulties (or a complete inability altogether) to form healthy relationships because of the trauma. They might even latch on tighter to the abuser, especially with abusers who play the "I'm a saint for putting up with you" card.
152	** A mild case of this can occur when knowing that you've disappointed someone by your actions makes you feel worse than any punishment could. It's unlikely to affect a sociopath, however.
153	[[/folder]]
154

Context Main / BreakThemByTalking