Them's a lot of rules. I think I'll just choose to remain single.

Or yet another way to look at it is that when people are venting it's not the actual problem that they're venting about it's the uncomfortable emotions that come about as a result of problem. Very usually, someone is doing something that makes their lives harder but it is within a very specific environment, e.g. work, school, some kind of committee, where there are rules against settling disputes by right of arms. So even though I might have a really elegant solution for 'solving' that particular dispute, what I tend to be listening to long term tends to be, 'Coworkers... can't live with 'em, can't kill 'em'. To which the correct answer is obviously not 'You could solve that problem with Piranha Solution - removes organic material from the substrate', it's 'Yes, we do have to put up with annoying people for a long time sometimes.'

Don't quite agree with the last sentence here. If you care about someone, it's often needed to give them advice even if they don't want it. People in frustration often don't think rationally. Yes, don't annoy them because that'll make things worse. But don't shut the fuck up, either. Try to bring it up later when they calm down. Not every problem can be solved alone, and some people have been taught their entire life not to seek help from others.