My brother is a very, very conservative right-wing gun nut. I used to argue politics and whatnot with him for years, until my mother finally told me (me, not him) that listening to us argue upset her very much. Now, whenever he starts, I actively change the subject in a flagrantly passive-aggressive manor. I throw out complete non-sequiturs. I have a brain full of bizarre facts to change the conversation to something non-confrontational. Believe me, there is nothing like tossing out a "Did you know that octopi have four penises?!" in a fake smile voice to stop those confrontational conversations.
BTW, I have no idea how many, if any, penises an octopus has.