I have an acquaintance, nice guy, who peppers his conversation with some very wrong "facts", and I do not know how to respond reasonably, consequently the more outlandish ones become conversation stoppers. Sometimes I would laugh because I figured he was joking, only to realize by his hurt reaction that he was serious.
These "facts" run the gamut from bad science to things one might read in the Weekly World News (does that still exist?). For example, the reason it rains is because the sky and ocean are the same color. Or, "(insert name of a presidential candidate) had a sex change operation years ago". If challenged, he'll often respond, "Oh, yes, it's in the news this week. I saw it at some web site." Changing the subject doesn't work.
Other than avoiding conversation, what are some reasonable and polite ways to respond?
These "facts" run the gamut from bad science to things one might read in the Weekly World News (does that still exist?). For example, the reason it rains is because the sky and ocean are the same color. Or, "(insert name of a presidential candidate) had a sex change operation years ago". If challenged, he'll often respond, "Oh, yes, it's in the news this week. I saw it at some web site." Changing the subject doesn't work.
Other than avoiding conversation, what are some reasonable and polite ways to respond?