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Look, I'll agree that this hobby seems to have more than its fair share of curmudgeons. But at the same time, I've never encountered a group - workplace, social, fraternal or otherwise - that didn't have its subset of know-it-alls, spoilsports, doomsayers, I'm-better-than-you's and other negativists. I find that particularly true of online communities where many of the social norms don't apply (e.g. people will say things in an online forum that they would never say to someone's face in person). So yeah, it's easy to find folks in the hobby who seem fixated on proving that they know "better than you". You can find folks more interested in saying things that suggest how wealthy they are (incidentally, usually the best indication they actually aren't) than talking about trains. You can find plenty of folks who cross the line from expressing their point of view to explaining why their point of view is the RIGHT point of view. And Gawd help us if you ask about which DCC system is best... But, on the same note, I don't know if that has much to do with the hobby. I've learned not to talk about politics at the Elks, not to discuss economics at a United Way dinner, and not to discuss if the media has a liberal bias on the bowling team. And I rarely discuss DCC systems on the forum! The folks that aren't "good company" usually self-identify pretty clearly. I don't go over and talk to those people at a cocktail party, and I don't get involved in a debate with them here. So maybe a hobby that tends to emphasize precision, attention to detail and a certain degree of living in the internal realm of the imagination attracts a more introverted, 'curmudgeonly' sort than, say, mountain biking... Particularly if you add in a certain element of over-compensation for the "grown men playing with trains" thing. But I'd say that's an incremental thing only. Much more important is the cross-section of the culture that, like any group, has all sorts. But if you pay attention, you'll also see many who are helpful. Those who are welcoming. Those who continue to answer the same newbie questions over-and-over without complaint in the spirit of making the hobby open to newcomers. Those who offer advice and constructive criticism without judgment. At the end of the day, my best advice is if someone or something  bugs you, change the channel - i.e. move on to the next thread.
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