I don't like being told what to be mad about. This is why I avoid network news like the plague. I come here, because we (most of us) are a group of friends that knows each other pretty well, and it is nice to have like minded folks to relax and enjoy a like hobby. Since the FDA has "mobilized" I have seen many posts that were meant to stir us up. People get mad, and people have gotten kicked out over it. I see no value in just getting mad.
So, since the FDA has been harassing our friendly neighborhood tobacco manufacturers, we have seen the split in the road. Either get mad and wallow in our emotions. Give up the hobby entirely and take up a new hobby. Or, like many of us, devote a huge portion of our budget to tobacco hoarding. I now have more than twice my body weight in tobacco hoarded away in every nook and cranny of the house.
So, now with the news that pipemakers are starting to get the "shake down" by the FDA, we can either throw chairs against the wall, or find a positive spin... and, I for one, am going to reroute the energy that I was putting into hoarding tobacco (Switch Gears) to hoarding pipes. This will support the pipe artisans and the retailers who we all love and cherish.
Support our sponsors by buying as many pipes as possible. My suggestions... (for what it's worth) buy artisan pipes. The factories can deal with the FDA better than these individuals that work out of their homes. And, there is always going to be a market from folks that can't afford artisan pipes. And, buy through the sponsors, because they are on the frontlines of the FDA fight already. And, there is always going to be a large group of folks buying direct from the artists with custom requests.
So, factories and custom orders will probably still flourish, but the small amount of us that participate on the forum can bolster the sales of artisan pipes through retailers.
Of course, if you prefer, you can just get angry and throw chairs, but I am just suggesting a way to turn this all into positive action, verses unbridled anger.
But, I for one, want to try to do something positive in a way directed at fixing the problem in a way that I can control. Otherwise, do what you want.
So, since the FDA has been harassing our friendly neighborhood tobacco manufacturers, we have seen the split in the road. Either get mad and wallow in our emotions. Give up the hobby entirely and take up a new hobby. Or, like many of us, devote a huge portion of our budget to tobacco hoarding. I now have more than twice my body weight in tobacco hoarded away in every nook and cranny of the house.
So, now with the news that pipemakers are starting to get the "shake down" by the FDA, we can either throw chairs against the wall, or find a positive spin... and, I for one, am going to reroute the energy that I was putting into hoarding tobacco (Switch Gears) to hoarding pipes. This will support the pipe artisans and the retailers who we all love and cherish.
Support our sponsors by buying as many pipes as possible. My suggestions... (for what it's worth) buy artisan pipes. The factories can deal with the FDA better than these individuals that work out of their homes. And, there is always going to be a market from folks that can't afford artisan pipes. And, buy through the sponsors, because they are on the frontlines of the FDA fight already. And, there is always going to be a large group of folks buying direct from the artists with custom requests.
So, factories and custom orders will probably still flourish, but the small amount of us that participate on the forum can bolster the sales of artisan pipes through retailers.
Of course, if you prefer, you can just get angry and throw chairs, but I am just suggesting a way to turn this all into positive action, verses unbridled anger.
But, I for one, want to try to do something positive in a way directed at fixing the problem in a way that I can control. Otherwise, do what you want.
