So as someone whose brother is addicted to nicotine, and used to smoke...
Vaping is massively preferable to smoking for everyone involved. Tobacco smoke makes me cough as I pass, stains into walls and clothes, and secondhand smoke is a cancer risk.
I can't smell the vapor myself, because I can't smell, but it doesn't make me cough. I did try a nicotine-free one once and it tasted like licorice, that was cool. There's certainly no solid evidence that it's carcinogenic, and my mom (who's crazy about smells, also a nurse) is fine with it.
It still sucks that people get addicted to nicotine, but vaping is clean and (as far as we know) safe. Blowing vapor in peoples' faces is still kinda gross, but that's something assholes do on purpose.
"vaping == fedoras" bothers me for several reasons, but basically it's just a witless dig. My brother doesn't vape because he's "one of them hipsters" or something, he does it because he's addicted to nicotine. And unlike cigarettes or patches, he's been able to steadily decrease the nicotine content. In the meantime he isn't consuming tar and filling the air with nicotine smoke. He likes the flavors and plans to keep vaping once he's free of nicotine, and I strongly considered starting (it's kinda pricey though, plus I can't smell).
I don't like being around smokers, but vaping is totally different. Took me a while to realize that, too, so I don't really blame people for being misinformed.