It has to be done when they're little.

I've seen a mother violently beat her son to appease an obese woman whose feelings had been hurt by the boy's inconsideration. Children are sane like that.

The child had been honest without being malicious. He merely described her correctly, "Look, she's fat." Had a blue car driven past, he might have said "Look, a blue car." She was as emotionally insane as she was obese and she rounded on the boy's mother to shame her parenting skills (probably only because she'd blushed beetroot at her son's honesty). The whale wanted an apology.

If a word can make her suffer, a word can take her suffering away; but at some point, those who crumble at mean words really need to stop inflicting pain inside their imaginations. They're just cutting themselves.

The kid flatly refused to apologise. He'd done nothing wrong. His mother was frantic, swearing to beat the life out of him if he didn't comply. I could tell she meant it. I sensed there would be blood but he kept refusing. He was a little OCD about it. I admired him immensely.

The mother lost her mind, started beating him. Backhands whipped across his face. I could have intervened but I told myself it was none of my business. Property is property and I know the law.

Children are naturally honest because lying is one of the purest forms of insanity. Their lying mothers tell them to be honest as they simultaneously lie to their faces (Santa, etc). They're told by everyone to be honest as they're told to be polite (lie). They're punished for being honest (rude) and they're punished for lying. Violent punishment, of course; because humans are taught that way. It's how they learn. The violent art of persuasion.

Be honest. Don't be honest. Crack Don't lie to me. Lie to me. Crack.

Call me crazy but I think this is how insanity is made.

As I passed the obese woman, the smug smile on her dial was too much. I almost got violent myself. Instead I took a deep breath and when I reversed out of the parking lot, a 15-stone woman was sitting on the asphalt in a crumpled heap, sobbing uncontrollably. I may have been a little impolite. My mother would have been appalled.