History Main / BreakThemByTalking

* ''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 latge security guard without any violence or threat thereof.

Some good tropes to use in the Breaking Speech include BrutalHonesty, CowardiceCallout, NotSoDifferentRemark, PersonalHorror, TomatoInTheMirror, and TheyDiedBecauseOfYou.

Some good tropes to use in the Breaking Speech include BrutalHonesty, CowardiceCallout, NotSoDifferentRemark, TomatoInTheMirror, and TheyDiedBecauseOfYou.

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 [[HalfTruth 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.

[[caption-width-right:350:Her words hurt far worse than the NeckLift.]]

For examples of ''literally'' breaking someone by talking, see WeaponsGradeVocabulary or MakeMeWannaShout. Works using this trope may discuss ThePowerOfLanguage.

** 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 raising doubts about the compatibility between the causes of the homosexual and transgender movements as well as the future of both movements.

** 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 raising doubts about the compatibility between the causes of the homosexual and transgender movements.

** Of course, [[HeteronormativeCrusader anti-LGBT forces]] who are aware of this technique can resist it using anti-mind game techniques. They can also turn the tables by raising doubts about the compatibility between the causes of the homosexual and transgender movements.

** Of course, [[HeteronormativeCrusader anti-LGBT forces]] who are aware of this technique can turn the tables by raising doubts about the compatibility between the causes of the homosexual and transgender movements.

** Jack Slash is a master at this, and 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.]]

* In {{Literature/Worm}} Tattletale can do this due to her power. It doesn't matter who your 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.
** 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.

* If you play as [[GadgeteerGenius Miu Iruma]] in ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaSUltimateSummerCamp'' she will be asked to think of ideas to unlock new potential for her talent, but she will refuse to do the assignment and say that she would rather make an invention that brushes teeth while the user is asleep. If she addresses [[ClassRepresentative Kiyotaka Ishimaru]] (whom she calls "hard head"), Taka will scold her to tears.

Some good tropes to use in the Breaking Speech include BrutalHonesty, NotSoDifferentRemark, TomatoInTheMirror, and TheyDiedBecauseOfYou.

* At one point in ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaSUltimateSummerCamp'', [[ClassRepresentative Kiyotaka Ishimaru]], fed up with her unruly behaviour, does this to [[InsufferableGenius Miu Iruma]], who begins crying at the end.

* ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaV3KillingHarmony'': When Shuichi, Maki, Himiko, and Keebo abstain from voting to force to the audience to stop watching, They responsd by hacking Keebo and erasing his personality to carry out the audience's wishes. Shuichi realizes that the audience isn’t going to suddenly stop wanting more killing games just because this one got a disappointing ending and therefore that he needs to change their minds entirely. He weaponizes this to the audience, but letting a [[TheDogbitesback hell-bent forceful persuasion]]; and it WORKS. Everyone abstains from voting, with the audience choosing not to vote, shutting down Danganronpa forever.

* 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.''\\\

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".

* ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaV3KillingHarmony'': When Shuichi, Maki, Himiko, and Keebo abstain from voting to force to the audience to stop watching, They responsd by hacking Keebo and erasing his personality to carry out the audience's wishes. Shuichi realizes that the audience isn’t going to suddenly stop wanting more killing games just because this one got a disappointing ending and therefore that he needs to change their minds entirely. He weaponizes this to the audience, but letting a [[TheDogbitesback hell-bent forceful persuasion]]; and it WORKS. Everyone obtains from voting, with the audience choosing not to vote, shutting down Danganronpa forever.

* ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaV3KillingHarmony'': When Shuichi, Maki, Himiko, and Keebo abstain from voting to force to the audience to stop watching, They responsd by hacking Keebo and erasing his personality to carry out the audience's wishes. Shuichi realizes that the audience isn’t going to suddenly stop wanting more killing games just because this one got a disappointing ending and therefore that he needs to change their minds entirely. He weaponizes this to the audience, but letting a [[TheDogbitesback hell-bent forceful persuasion]].and it WORKS. Everyone obtains from voting, with the audience choosing not to vote, shutting down Danganronpa forever.

* ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaV3KillingHarmony'': When Shuichi, Maki, Himiko, and Keebo abstain from voting to force to the audience to stop watching, They response by hacking Keebo and erasing his personality to carry out the audience's wishes. Shuichi realizes that the audience isn’t going to suddenly stop wanting more killing games just because this one got a disappointing ending and therefore that he needs to change their minds entirely. He weaponizes this to the audience, but letting a [[TheDogbitesback hell-bent forceful persuasion]].and it WORKS. Everyone obtains from voting, with the audience choosing not to vote, shutting down Danganronpa forever.

* ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaV3KillingHarmony'': When Shuichi, Maki, Himiko, and Keebo abstain from voting to force to the audience to stop watching, They response by hacking Keebo and erasing his personality to carry out the audience's wishes. Shuichi realizes that the audience isn’t going to suddenly stop wanting more killing games just because this one got a disappointing ending and therefore that he needs to change their minds entirely. He weaponizes this to the audience, but letting a [[TheDogbites back hell-bent forceful persuasion]].and it WORKS. Everyone obtains from voting, with the audience choosing not to vote, shutting down Danganronpa forever.

** 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.

* 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.

* Sith Lords in the ''TabletopGame/StarWarsD20'' game have a power that lets them do this more effectively.

* ''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]].

* In {{Literature/Worm}} Tattletale can do this due to her power. It doesn't matter who your 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.
** 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 Literature/SagaOfSoul, [[LegionsOfHell Downfall]] does it to [[MagicalGirl Eriko]]. [[spoiler:[[EpiphanyTherapy To put it mildly]], it [[NiceJobFixingItVillain backfired]].]]

* 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.
* 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.]]

* 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.]]
--> '''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.
--> '''Yami:''' It's not my fault if they refuse to git gud.
--> '''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?
--> '''Yami:''' Of course I—
--> '''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.
--> '''Yami:''' Yugi...
--> '''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.

* 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.
* ''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.
* ''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 latge security guard without any violence or threat thereof.

[[quoteright:350:[[Webcomic/QuestionableContent https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/3763.png]] ]]

** 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 feelings.]]