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Sorry, I misunderstood. I think I know what you are talking about, though, especially when it comes to the *manifestations*. In a way, it reminds me of a Peter Sellers film called Being There. In the film, the main character is mentally challenged but very articulate though no one is aware of his true nature. People mistake his simplistic answers as being profound and allegorical because they think he speaks with authority and appears to have credibility.

I imagine the blank stare tactic in return.

Maybe the thing to strive for here is to politely challenge trite and cliché sayings, and state plainly what is minimized with euphemism. Example: "I agree that you can't change the past, but you seem to be using that as a way of excusing wrong doing. Do you mean to do that?" I will try to experiment with this more on my own family and see how it goes. Don't worry, I'll report back!