[DubintheDam]

In my entire life, I have only ever seen 1 pipe smoker under the age of 45, and that was about two weeks ago, a rasta style dude smoking American Spirit in a pipe. He looked pretty cool.

It seems to me that in the USA there does seem to be some trend for people to smoke a pipe when they go to university, this I have only become aware of since joining this forum. I think there is a element also of younger people smoking pipes partly because there is such a strong anti cigarette smoking social movement in the States.

I know I bought my first pipe when I was forty (I will be 42 this Saturday), I felt I had earned the right of passage so to speak. I'm all for young people smoking a pipe as a somewhat healthier and more pleasurable experience than cigarette smoking, however I dislike the idea of people smoking a pipe just because it projects a more intellectual image or form of academic superiority. But above all I dislike pipe smokers who consider themselves 'BETTER' than any other type of smoker...that's called being a 'snob', plain and simple.