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I see some very valid points based on lifestyle and available time to fish. First if your working for a living, your fishing time is limited to that which you have set aside to be at your sellected target and location. If its a windy day your going to have to work with what god has given you. Perhaps Graphite is a must. I know back long before I retired and on the west coast we had a magnificent offshore fishery, a bit tuna stick was mandatory along with rubber boots and a rain slicker suite. It was what was necessary for the fishery and the weather conditions. Working I didn't have the luxury to stay and rebook another boat when the weather abated.
Likewise being retired and living just 1 mile above a lake with 54 miles of shoreline and over a hundred miles of year round river fishery not including all the smaller streams that feed into the river or the Golden Trout Wilderness a few miles North of me, I have the luxury of putting my Bass rod away, get in the car and drive a few miles to a secluded area under tree cover to fish in somewhat sheltered waters.
While I do have some somewhat unique heavy graphite that by todays standards would be considered full flexing like my Leonards, frankly I haven't been anywhere on the coast where winds would make them mandatory. Plus swinging alot of the big sticks around for an older guy really puts some wear into the arm. I try to fish every clear day possible each year, thats exactly why I retired up here. If I can get in 300 plus days a year Im a happy guy. So keeping it light and knowing my own little fishing routine makes casting much shorter distances and avoiding the heavy winds we get (yes in summer it can be blowing in off the desert to our east with a constant 20 plus mph and gusts easily reaching 60 mph a few getting into the 80s), thus my selective mannor of fishing in the protected areas when those winds are daily occurances. I start the summer with a 5wt, soon as the winds pick up it gets to a 6wt and at least last summer alot of 7wt with wets for river fishing just because of he heavy winds.
And yes I do realize that not everyone is lucky enough to have some of the heavy glass that I have. The Phillipsons I have like the late brown 10wt and two golden Eagle Orvis 10wts, a couple of Scientific Anglers Fisher made 11wts and even a bunch of the big stick Fenwicks. Armed with one of my big guns the winds become less of a factor than the simple fact my arm gets tired with all the weight Im trying to swing for extended periods. I found the same thing working with Graphite before I retired and perhaps taxed my arms even more because I knew I would be back at work on Monday so would go home with a sore arm.
Personally I think its all about the available time we have to spend doing what we like to do. If your a working person you want to fish a given area thats subject to alot of wind your going to get the tools you need, be it a Graphite rod. Im in the same boat in winter here for the ultra lights, the ones I fish in 1-2-3wts are all Graphite right now. Most likely for the same reasons you guys are hooked on your big graphite sticks, it simply works better under your given conditions.
Richard