Was it an act of compassion?

The post:

Yes, what Martin was trying to do was demonstrate to her that she is behaving badly, and being very hurtful. But the way he chose to do that was itself harmful. He did not operate with compassion towards her. He was hurt, and lashed out. This got her to stop, but is every bit as wrong as what she was doing, and can't be considered a decent way to act or be considered brilliant.

Martin did not operate from his highest self. He allowed lower impulses to direct him. His actions were not intended to bring love and harmony to this encounter. His actions were intended to bring discord and conflict. Martin indulged his ego and his addiction to self-righteousness.

The results Martin got speak for themselves. The world is not better off because of Martin's actions. Love and compassion was not brought into the world because of Martin's actions. Martin accomplished the opposite of that.

Ego taking over

The post:

Martin's ego runs rampant. Martin's need to get her to stop her hurtful comments (a need I acknowledge is real) gets subsumed with his need to feel superior. Martin needs to feel that he can set her straight, that he can teach her how to behave. Martin's ego has taken over this exchange, and his genuine need to get her to stop making her comments has become an opportunity for his ego to have a field day, and feel perfectly justified in doing so.

Martin has a genuine complaint; she is being very hurtful to him. But this in no way grants Martin the license to correspondingly hurt her. And hurting her is precisely what Martin's actions do. And Martin is clearly aware of this. His statements are clearly designed to provoke her, and cause her distress.

Martin did indeed hurt someone who was hurting him. As I've explained, this is not justice, and I struggle to see how deliberately hurting another can be considered brilliant.