It seems to me the problem is that there are many more opportunities for people working in computing to feel superior because of the way computers (and the inte

It seems to me the problem is that there are many more opportunities for people working in computing to feel superior because of the way computers (and the internet, in particular) have become ubiquitous in our society. I mean, supposing you were a marine biologist. Not everyone is an expert in your domain, sure, but equally, people just don't normally ask you that many questions about it. If, on the other hand, a marine biologist gets asked daily whether a common species of seaweed is safe to eat, she might, after a while, start wondering why people are so stupid that she has to keep answering the same question. The problem is that in this hypothetical world, enough people eat seaweed often enough that this knowledge is required of our marine biologist on a regular basis, yet any particular person doesn't eat seaweed often enough that he would remember which species were safe to eat. Of course, it doesn't help that there are so many species of similar-looking seaweed or that there are just enough marine biologists around that she meets a group of them with whom she can feel smug at every party she attends!