How do you know you don't like it...

Here's something I would like to call "let's try not to say this anymore, okay?"

It's a funny thing you advise someone "how do you know you don't like it, when you haven't tried it", if you want to convince him to do something or experience something, which they wouldn't do otherwise. The thing you want someone else to do, is either:

• something you already did (once) before
• an experience you'd (secretly) like to have yourself (and you want a guinea pig)
  
• an experience you'd like someone else to have (regardless if you had or not)

In my experience, people may or may not have a good reason not to want to do this thing in the first place, and they may or may not be aware of this. Often it's just a reflex, a feeling. Depending on the situation, people may have to be convinced to do something that could ultimately be of benefit to them. A good example is overcoming a fear of flying.

But arguing that previous experience is the only way to determine your preference, and using this argument to convince someone to do something - no matter how well meant - is an extremely evil thing to do. It's the same as claiming that experience gives you the right to stick your nose in other people's business.

It is simply not true that experience breeds preference. People have got this thing called fear, and it's real handy in prolinging life on this blue little planet. It prevents people from doing stupid stuff, like jumping off tall buildings without having a parachute (I'm sure it's extremely exhilarating, but I'm pretty sure I don't like it, and I won't do it). Of course, sometimes fear is so strong it also prevents people from achieving above and beyond, but that's beside the fact.

Previous experience does not suddenly give you the ability to influence people better. Previous experience is a bad predictor for liking something or not.

In other words, you need to come up with more valid argument if you want a non-smoker to smoke a joint.