Dear Prudence,
We’ll be in contact with my brother and his girlfriend this holiday season. I’m delighted they’re a couple. She’s deeply kind and has made him very happy. She also wears masks everywhere and follows COVID safety protocols. The “but … ” is that she is a bit of a conspiracy theorist. Just throw a dart at a map of Big Pharma, the Illuminati, or aliens and she’ll find some way they’re planning humanity’s downfall. What’s especially weird is this country’s evildoers are not exactly subtle about it, yet somehow she thinks there is a big, secret conspiracy just waiting to be uncovered. This is going to be a bit much this year, but I can’t seem to think of the right exit. Could you please hand me a conversational get-out-of-jail card that I can use without hurting her feelings?
—“I Think You’re Daft,” but Nicely