A bait comment is a hook with a smile on it. Swim past.

Some remarks are built to get a reaction rather than to communicate anything. They are shaped to look almost reasonable, so that answering seems fair and declining seems rude, and the moment you engage you are in a conversation whose terms somebody else set. Recognising the design is most of the defence.

When something produces an immediate urge to reply, treat the urge itself as the signal. Leave it alone and watch what happens, which is usually nothing. Not every line thrown at you requires you to take it.