is the weather severe enough?, page-207

real deniers (as opposed to poop stirrers) ----------- are convinced that there is no change

it's just belief -------------- the strongest force on the planet

It's all close enough to impossible to convince people of something when they have a fake belief and the evidence opposes that belief.

these duds on here who deny climate change - it would take a bushfire burning them at the same time as a cyclone blowing on them and a flood coming down the creek at them - all at the same time as it's snowing - to convince them that something is different - even then - they'd think it's normal.

here's a little story about just how powerful a belief is ----- in the face of reality.

My partner and I were gold prospecting - detectors, moving around WA. One day we met a lovely couple camping - they were also detecting.
The bloke was an excellent bushman, had worked in the bush as an animal trapper for research - for years. They were great to meet and we got on well, sharing a cuppa and drinks for a couple of days.
It came up that he had not ever found a nugget - although he'd been at it for ? can't remember - it was a couple of years of so I think. He had a good machine - a Minelab model which really did perform well and unless it had a huge problem - then this bloke had to be the most unlucky guy on the planet. So - we tested his detector ------- yep, worked for me perfectly.
He said that he could hear noises, but he never got anything, the noises either just went away or there was nothing there. So - I said, we're in a great gold area right here (I'd already found many bits) - in the morning, how about we go out together (like about 50 metres away - not a big expedition) -------- you find a noise and then, get me and we'll take a look at it -----

so, off we went come morning.

After a while - he got a signal. The story went something like this - pretty close to exact.

So, I get there and he's standing there, detector in hand and points out where the sound is. I have a listen - I target it down to two dimensions - drawing a little cross in the dirt -

I get him to scrape back the top pebbles etc with his boot - check the signal again - still there.
scrape away a bit more - still there.
get out the pick - 'scrape' away some fresh dirt - still there

go down a bit further - still there and stronger blips
eventually on one of the scrapes - down a little way by then - the signal disappears

he says - see, it's gone ----------- yes I say, now wave over the pile scraped out - so, he does ---------- blip blip blip -

so, whatever it is - is in the pile. Ok, he's got that - something in the pile.

So, I show him to put the coil down and pick up a portion of the dirt in the pile and wave his hand over the coild --------- zip, quiet.

I say - put the dirt over there, carefully, take another portion - again, zip - and after a few goes ----------------- bing -------- there's something in the dirt in his hand.

his face now shows a kind of blankness - and he goes to throw the dirt in his hand into the discard pile -

I grab his hand before he throws it - look into his eyes and say - 'it's in your hand'

he's still got the blank look. I say - wave it over the coil again - bing - there is that sound.

I say - now, carefully dribble some of the dirt in your hand onto the coil - he does - nothing.
I say keep going - he does - and then wam - a big noise as whatever metal it is drops and hits the coil.

I say - stop. - Wave you hand over the coil --------- zip. I say - put that dirt in your hand on the little pile. He does.

I say now - carefully run your finger around the dirt on the coil - he does - and all of a sudden he's got his finger on the target moving it on the coil - the detector is going bananas

I say take your finger off the coil - he does - I can see the nugget - he can't. he says I can't see anything.

I pick up the nugget and a little bit of dirt comes with it - I put it into his hand - it's as clear to me as crystal -------- he STILL can't see it.

I patiently take away a little of the dirt and make it that the gold is pretty much staring us in the face by itself -----

it is now so clear that Mr McGoo on a bad day can see it -------- and all he does is to look at it - a blank stare of disbelief --------- his fake belief in his head has reached explosion point and reality is blowing it apart.
I say, put it in your mouth - and for god's sake don't sneeze.

The shock was visible on his face for at least an hour ------- and we got back to our vans and had drinks and everyone was very happy.

Next day - he was like a windup toy - we wound him up and let him go - and he just kept finding gold ------- once that fake belief was blown away - and, boy did it take some patience ------- but, once he got it - he was in a totally different world.

Long story about a simple example - but, it's the same with climate deniers - many of them - just can't see it - and no amount of data, charts or graphs IMO - are going to smash their fake beliefs - they believe in 'nothing has changed'