STG Enough Already, Chicken Little, Or What?

[JoburgB2]

I enjoy pipe smoking arguably as much as any of us on this forum. But at risk of sounding like a pinhead, there is much agonising hand-wringing on the forum over corporate tobacco business. Too much. It’s like a group of gossiping ladies under the hair dryers at the salon. The self-righteousness and inflated belief in assuming any of us has an informed opinion is getting a little boring (including this one, too, of course!) Is it really the strong belief here that our own actions or opinions are right and everyone else’s are wrong? Is it impossible that others (who concocted and executed these business decisions) might have valid viewpoints, whatever the heck they might be? Is it a bloody disaster? Is the sky falling? The end of the pipe smoking world as we know it? I don’t think so. Even if it is, I think we vastly overstate our relevance and importance as a community and demographic.

 

[crashthegrey]

I mean, I feel like maybe you struggle to understand the purpose of the forum. Of course losing the largest US producer of tobacco, who has existed for 175 years, is going to cause a stir. Hundreds of tobaccos, most likely being someone's favorite, are gone. Of course we overstate our relevance. If we didn't, there wouldn't be a forum full of these people. I recommend skipping posts that do not interest you rather than running the risk that you "vastly overstate (y)our relevance and importance as a community and demographic."

 

[sablebrush52]

Too much. It’s like a group of gossiping ladies under the hair dryers at the salon.

Welcome to being on a forum. It's always like that.

Is it really the strong belief here that our own actions or opinions are right and everyone else’s are wrong?

Yes. Especially with regard to politics, where it's completely delusional.

Is it impossible that others (who concocted and executed these business decisions) might have valid viewpoints, whatever the heck they might be?

Absolutely. In fact, conceited me has said just that.

s it a bloody disaster? Is the sky falling?

It depends on whether or not your ox got gored. For me, not so much, because the quality of the blends I smoked have been on the skids for years, so I really can't get that excited about it. As one of my friends on the forum wrote to me earlier today, "I'm glad that I cellared when I did." Wish I'd figured it out in the '80's before the the quality drop in the '90's.

All that said, there are still some terrific leaf and blends to be enjoyed. You might have to run the blockade, jump through some hoops, or spend some extra money to get at some of it, but it's there. Or you might just be very content with what's readily available. Lot of fish in the sea.

I don’t think so. Even if it is, I think we vastly overstate our relevance and importance as a community and demographic.

Honestly, I don't have any sense that I have any importance of any nature whatsoever, much less this most August assemblage, to the greater community of whoever the hell is out there. The four surviving Sutliff goopers are probably a clue.

 

[jpberg]

 

[troutface]

I've stayed out of this because no one was going to like my opinion. It's not great when something you like goes away, I empathize, but try to keep this in perspective. WHO estimates 750 million people in the world don't have enough to eat daily. They also estimate that 50% of all child deaths are from malnutrition. Those are real problems the world needs to solve. Losing your favorite blend is a minor inconvenience at best. Commence firing.

 

[BingBong]

I was in a ladies salon once as a child. What the hell were those chemicals? Are they not banned by the Geneva Convention?

 

[HeavyLeadBelly]

So….these threads annoy you? Just ignore them. You literally have to click on them to read the chatter. At the end of the day this is the internet. Learn to ignore the stuff that annoys you

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

I don't have enough history with pipe smoking to have experienced issues with supply/quality/industry changes so I'm reluctant to say much and although there seems to be a lot of circular and repetitive and emotional response to what is being reported recently, I really can't say it's too much or too little having no real context or attachment. I sympathize with anyone who is affected and upset. My favorite current blends are still around and I've plenty of them and I'll be cautious in depleting my cache of older blends I've found I like and picked up over time.

I barely have time to read the very few threads I pop into so I haven't taken a deep dive into trying to fathom all that is going on - a lot of blends are disappearing, is it a bad sign for the future (for which I think the forecast is continuing and inevitably partly cloudy at best) or a retrenching that helps delay the inevitable? It's definitely bad news for anyone losing a favorite or favorites. Definitely a huge issue for many and understandable, and not at all like the ridiculous but overall insignificant decision many years ago by Nabisco to discontinue my beloved Bacon Thins.

The only thing that has made an impression on me is the willingness of a few to suggest without a lot of tact that they know better than (and are outright combative with) industry stakeholders who have been generous with their time and information by stopping in here and providing some information, correcting some misconceptions and so forth. That kind of stuff isn't representative of the membership and doesn't encourage more participation from those kinds of folks at a time when it should be encouraged.

 

[JackOrion]

Vastly overstated our importance or relevance? As a devout believer in the virtues of selfishness any subject I deem worthy of my time is of the utmost importance and relevance.

Regarding the topic at hand, I’ve read a few passages and complaints and that’s enough for me. It is what it is and it’s certainly out of my hands. Unless I’m growing and processing the tobacco myself and someone comes along to prevent me from doing so, where is my issue? It’s their product that they bring to the marketplace, I either buy it or I don’t. If there’s a void then there’s an even greater opportunity for some industrious people.

 

[brian64]

I feel fortunate to be able to say, if the only tobacco I had to smoke for the rest of my life was OJK and some premium cigars I'd be completely content.

That said, it's a huge extra bonus that I'm even more fortunate to have a halfway decent "cellar" at this point with quite a few other blends. For anyone who does not, my only advice is to find some remaining blends that you like (there are still many very good ones) and put away as much as you reasonably can...and don't worry about it...maybe smoke some cigars too while you're at it.

Put in perspective of all the genuinely significant stuff that really matters in life and in the world, I have very little emotional and psychological energy leftover to invest in worrying or getting upset about tobacco.

 

[WirelessSmoke]

I kind of get it specifically when there are multiple threads that are seemingly parallel and turn into the same talking points etc. The problem I have is once I've replied to a thread, I get alerts for that thread even after it seems to have run it's course, and I've lost interest. Now obviously I could just ignore the alert, but I just can't help myself. I need to know what wrong thing was said on the internet on any given day!

 

[jguss]

If this is the Story of Chicken Little then it’s the unredacted version with 2400 pages and counting instead of 8. Honestly I fell asleep after the first couple of hundred.

 

[PA Piper Mike]

I've stayed out of this because no one was going to like my opinion. It's not great when something you like goes away, I empathize, but try to keep this in perspective. WHO estimates 750 million people in the world don't have enough to eat daily. They also estimate that 50% of all child deaths are from malnutrition. Those are real problems the world needs to solve. Losing your favorite blend is a minor inconvenience at best. Commence firing.

Man, when you splash cold water on it like that....lol...like I tell my kids all the time when they complain when something doesn't go their way and they stomp up the stairs shouting "WORST DAY EVER!!!!"......First world problems, kid!

Yeah, it still sucks, as does losing the nostalgia of a company that's been around for almost 2 centuries, but I feel more for all those employees that now have to find new employment and even more so for those that have/had very tobacco-related positions. But all that said, when you compare that with all the utter bullshit going on in the rest of the world, it's kinda hard to not shrug at this and think of how many people in this world that would give anything to trade lives with any of us.

 

[jpberg]

If this is the Story of Chicken Little then it’s the unredacted version with 2400 pages and counting instead of 8. Honestly I fell asleep after the first couple of hundred.

My bad, Jon. I should’ve assigned a hair dryer to you.

 

[troutface]

when you compare that with all the utter bullshit going on in the rest of the world, it's kinda hard to not shrug at this and think of how many people in this world that would give anything to trade lives with any of us.

Yup. As our standard of living increases we become accustomed to it being the new normal and anything less is negative. I'm not immune to it either. I often catch myself worrying about crap that really doesn't make any difference in my true happiness. Splitting up with my girlfriend of 7 years only drove the point home. What I wouldn't give to have her back again. Those are the things that matter in life, everything else is just window dressing.

 

[jguss]

My bad, Jon. I should’ve assigned a hair dryer to you.

Kind thought but unnecessary. What’s left of my hair dries much more quickly than it did 40 years ago.

 

[JoburgB2]

So….these threads annoy you? Just ignore them. You literally have to click on them to read the chatter. At the end of the day this is the internet. Learn to ignore the stuff that annoys you

Truth. You are correct. I stuck my chin out, and won’t be surprised at contrary opinions. At least we share pipe smoking, for as long as it lasts.

 

[JoburgB2]

I mean, I feel like maybe you struggle to understand the purpose of the forum. Of course losing the largest US producer of tobacco, who has existed for 175 years, is going to cause a stir. Hundreds of tobaccos, most likely being someone's favorite, are gone. Of course we overstate our relevance. If we didn't, there wouldn't be a forum full of these people. I recommend skipping posts that do not interest you rather than running the risk that you "vastly overstate (y)our relevance and importance as a community and demographic."

Point taken. Understood. Just an observation.

 

[JoburgB2]

Welcome to being on a forum. It's always like that.

Yes. Especially with regard to politics, where it's completely delusional.

Absolutely. In fact, conceited me has said just that.

It depends on whether or not your ox got gored. For me, not so much, because the quality of the blends I smoked have been on the skids for years, so I really can't get that excited about it. As one of my friends on the forum wrote to me earlier today, "I'm glad that I cellared when I did." Wish I'd figured it out in the '80's before the the quality drop in the '90's.

All that said, there are still some terrific leaf and blends to be enjoyed. You might have to run the blockade, jump through some hoops, or spend some extra money to get at some of it, but it's there. Or you might just be very content with what's readily available. Lot of fish in the sea.

Honestly, I don't have any sense that I have any importance of any nature whatsoever, much less this most August assemblage, to the greater community of whoever the hell is out there. The four surviving Sutliff goopers are probably a clue.

Well balanced, good commentary. Cheers!

 

[JoburgB2]

I've stayed out of this because no one was going to like my opinion. It's not great when something you like goes away, I empathize, but try to keep this in perspective. WHO estimates 750 million people in the world don't have enough to eat daily. They also estimate that 50% of all child deaths are from malnutrition. Those are real problems the world needs to solve. Losing your favorite blend is a minor inconvenience at best. Commence firing.

Absolutely spot on.