Advice from One of Us?

 Our national newspaper has a weekly advice column that I never fail to read. It's a little different from most in the way that it works. Each week, at the end of the column, a new question is published. Readers submit their own solutions to the problem, and the three best suggestions are printed the following week, along with the columnist's advice.

Recently a new writer took over the column. I had always enjoyed the former writer's witty style and clever resolutions, so was a bit worried about whether or not the newcomer could handle the challenge. Last week, all doubts were laid to rest.

The topic was from a reader whose friend told her that he was cheating on his wife. Should she tell the wife, who is also a friend? The columnist began by saying her usual advice was to tell people to mind their own business. "If I accidentally stumble upon the neighbour's tricked-out basement that looks suspiciously like a sex dungeon, I will simply ask for the name of their decorator. They're not hurting anyone, okay, maybe themselves, but it's consensual so I don't need to get involved."

After considering all the possibilities, her final advice was that the reader should tell the wife about the infidelity. Her final paragraph convinced me that the new columnist was an excellent choice. "And for the record, if any of you ever find out my husband's been unfaithful, I expect to be notified immediately. I'll go straight to the neighbour's dungeon to borrow a few items. And no, the screaming that you're hearing is not consensual."