When you tear out a man's tongue, you are not proving him a liar, you're only telling the world that you fear what he might say.
Madness string 7339
It's just good old fashioned passive aggression, my friend. It's usually used for evil, but in small doses in the right context it can be used for good. Think about when your mom says, 'it's ok, sweetie, you don't need to visit me on my birthday. I know you're busy.'