Sometimes gas burners are seen as elitist in that the knowledge of what goes into that type of model is not always seen on the surface.
Sometimes gas burner folks are seen as 'rich kids' because they are willing to openly discuss the $ in their models while most sport fliers avoid that subject. Oddly enough there are many sport fliers with more expensive glow birds than some of the more 'fun' gas burners.
Some gas modelers tend to present themselves as better than the rest of the group because of the $ invested issue which is really not necessarily true.
LOL I almost joined a club that has mostly pattern flyiers who acted just as you described, and they fly glow! I didn't join because of the snobby attitude even though I like pattern. The club I am in now has a nice mix of gas and glow, rich and poor, even famous and not famous, and they generally get along. We have even had a few of the better healed modelers giving away their used planes to out of work modelers.