You know Harry, Regtretfully I have been on a flight in business class, where parents did act like that. Just ignored the children and let everyone else have steam coming out of their ears. Clearly the people were super posh aristocracy (it was obvious by the names and accent) and thought everyone else was beneath them.
Having flown many many times with babies and toddlers in Economy, its those passengers who are more concerned with the comfort of the other passengers, many of whom are happy to help the frazzled parents of a whining toddler.