I'm going to have to be one of those who has met mostly nice paleontologists. (Okay, by "met" I really mean corresponded with on the Internet. I haven't yet met any in person.)
Their snobbery, I think. The way they treat people who have an interest on the subject but are not paleontologists themselves. Of course, I don´t say ALL of them are like that, but, many, it seems :S
What kind of experience did you have? I've met a few paleontologists and the were very nice to me. I think one problem might be that the some of the ones who are particularly active on the internet unfortunately do fit the adjectives you used. In all honesty, I'm a little offended because paleontology is the field I want to go into and you're making me feel bad.
Well, I apologize for that- it's not with the intention of making anyone feel bad. I'm just commenting on a pattern I've been noticing for years; there are always exceptions to everything, though. It may even be that I have only met the exceptions, and that most others are actually good guys