When my brother stops by for a visit, the conversation eventually turns to some of the latest talking points he's picked up either from Fox News or AM radio. Since neither one of us has any say whatsoever in establishing policy, I don't waste a lot of energy trying to educate him or refute anything he says. At most I might try to redirect to something more local, like our mutual problem of skunks digging under the foundation and tearing up stuff under the house. A couple of days back, he said something so breathtakingly ignorant, I couldn't help but try to push back but soon realized it was hopeless and reverted to standard redirect mode. Here is my brother's reasoning on how sea level couldn't be rising.
There's no telling how many boats and airplanes have sunk in the ocean. If there was anything to sea level rising, why hasn't it risen from that?
Before I could even come up with a simple analogy to show how infinitely small boats and airplanes are in comparison to the ocean, he moved on to ask where all that melting ice they say is melting came from in the first place. "Well," I said, "It comes from snow building up over the years."
"So where did the snow come from?"
Although I could see where he was going, I couldn't help but answer that the snow came from water that evaporated from the ocean.
"So if it came from the ocean and it melts and goes in the ocean, what does that amount to?"
I thought we had arrived at a spot where I could cut through the fog. I tried to point out that the ice they're worried about melting is on land rather than already floating on water, but my point did not penetrate. There were no pegs anywhere in his mind for hanging the concept of a mile plus thick ice sheet covering thousands of square miles of land. In his mind he was ahead because I had conceded that snow came from the oceans to begin with and so decided it was time for him to head on up the road. I never did get a chance to answer what he said about boats sinking in the ocean. It'll probably come up again.