I know someone who gives the silent treatment. This is the loudest of all reactions.

It is clever. The clever of it is that the person being given the silent treatment can’t tell for sure if this silence is intended as a personal rebuke, if the silence just happens to be in place for no apparent reason, or if the silence is a warning that deeper and longer silence should be anticipated.

I know someone who is a screamer: Uncensored rage-slinging at dizzy decibels. It is clever. The clever of it is that the person being yelled at can’t get a thought in edgewise. It’s hard to tell when screams are likely to die down, if the scream level is in any way calibrated to the injury itself, or if any healing will ensue after the tide of fury subsides.

I know someone who sublimates. No action causes any visible reaction, ever. This is NOT clever. I think it may even be evil. At the least, it negates the existence of the rest of us.