People seem to forget that a man's (or woman's, of course!) choice of pipe is a reflection of the man himself. These days, a pipe is no longer but a simple tool that we use for the consumption of tobacco, but rather an extension of ones personality. Sherlock Holmes had it right, you can tell alot about personality from looking at ones choice of smoker - be it briar, clay, cob, or meer - and as such, it only makes sense that people over-react to innocuous comments.