I live in Arizona, so maybe - but I'm not sure! All the above examples (except the RC thing, that was not me) were co-workers. For the smoker I overheard a guy on a team across the aisle from mine talking about rubs for smoking ribs, and I chimed in - when he found out I use an electric smoker he scoffed and shifted the conversation to explaining to me what models he considered "real smokers." I was not left alone until someone else started mocking him for using a store bought and not having welded his own barrel smoker like player three. I took the opportunity to fade into the background at that point.

I should also mention it's not always aggressive, it seems to be I meet a lot of other guys where the hobby for them is all about the gear. Don't get me wrong, I love bells and whistles, but at some point I learned it's more about what works for me and gives the results I want.

Not the person you asked, but I know exactly what they're talking about. It's less prevalent in in-person discussions, but man are hobby-oneuppers everywhere online. And it's exhausting.