As I said selkie, I saw this (definitely nutty) woman's tirade and it was not unfamiliar to me as my mother was the same. But there was no way to say a word in response because then her husband would come in and whallop the hell out of me, so I had to withstand it silently. But yes you had to play your cards carefully, because being very calm only makes it worse; you have to show that you've been properly "broken" (even if you haven't) because that's what they want. Either that or someone to fight back. So the 'if you haven't witnessed it yourself' part, well it falls flat here. Those tirades you get pretty immune to, while being beat on, not so much.
Anywho it has been a fun day, I'm glad I got a chance to participate here, but I'm on my way for now. It's very unusual for me to get this kind of chance to read much less post so I'll see you all when I see you. Best of luck to you all.