Some people I know have problems with Steemit.

I really like @giantbear suggestion. Take him to the site, tell him (better yet, show him) that you didn't have to pay a single cent to open an account. Then do the whole dinner thing. On top of that, educate him about blockchain technology. I think most of us who adopted Steem first traded/mined in Bitcoin and Ethereum.

Or you can remind him that the government prints "real" money out of thing air.....