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.