Maybe it's a case of a little bit of knowledge (on the punter's side) breeds contempt. In the olden days there was a mystique about flying that engendered if not respect, then at least curiosity.
Or maybe you guys are just flying the wrong type. Whenever I've mentioned that I fly helicopters, mainly offshore; then I've never had a demeaning response and I would hazard a guess and say that's true for most chopper pilots.
Guess we're still a skills based profession as opposed to computer managers;
. Sorry, couldn't resist that!