Well it makes for a satisfying little rumble somewhere on the site several times a year. It seems the protagonists are determined to misunderstand each time.
As you've seen many of the pro's are as much enthusiasts as you. Danny and I both began as helplessly enthusiastic spotters on the spectators' balcony at Liverpool Airport during the British Eagle and Cambrian era.
Our definition is brutal but honest. The disdain has been created by the element of the fraternity that is obsessive/compulsive/bipolar possessing no social skills and where the counting/ordering/collecting is or becomes the sole driving force. The aircraft are, of themselves, secondary to that aspect. They'd be bird spotters if they had serial numbers. Remember, we are forced to spend time in airports and we can't help but run across the stereotype spotter on a regular basis.
The subsiduary aspect is whether someone sees themselves as a passive or active participants. If this was the TV and Film rumours network you'd see the same problems arise beween those on the production side (in no matter how minor a role) and viewers. It would be the same on a riding site or one for yachting. Human nature I'm afraid - in those realms I'm the one with a passive interest and I know what goes with the territory.
We're tribal creatures, there is an inside and outside. Disregarding PPRuNe itself it's there within the enthusiasts' community as with any human grouping - including pilots! The rest of the site bears testament to that. You lot actually get off very lightly if you have a look outside the box.
Regards from the Towers
Rob Lloyd