I'd do two things:
Change the subject to - "Bitcoin without an updated blockchain is slower than my bank"
Yes, could do that. Doesn't describe the situation to anyone who doesn't know what an updated-blockchain is though.
Look out the window ---->
See that? That's the rest of the world. That's who doesn't know what an updated blockchain is. Those are the people you want to be using bitcoin.
Forward port 8333 to your machine running the client.
No idea how to do that. I'm one of those people you may or may not be able to see out the window.