The only thing worse than "noobs" is "pros" who refuse to share their knowledge with "noobs". They think they're special or something. Maybe they're afraid that the "noobs" will get better than them and they won't be special anymore. Whatever the reason, it's irresponsible to hold knowledge and not let others have a piece of it.

I'll give an example. I go to the audio forum, and see beginners asking for help on what program to use to produce electronic music. People tell them to use Fruity Loops. Then, when the beginners complain that Fruity Loops totally blows at doing anything efficiently, people tell them to use Cubase or something, but be REALLY careful, because it's hard to use. As if the Fruity Loops GUI is at all user-friendly, right?

Maybe the "pros" really do believe that such programs are difficult to use. It stands, however, that one is capable of many things before he is told that these things are difficult. Why don't these people say, "go for it; dive in", instead of "be careful; watch your step"? Do they want to "keep those noobs in their place", or do they really think that these kids are stupid?

Another example. I see beginners asking for advice on mastering, and people often tell them to just not do it. Just stick to mixing. Why? Compression, Limiting, EQ, Stereo Imaging, etc. of a mix aren't difficult concepts to grasp. Why not experiment? Why not screw up? Why not get one's hands dirty? It's not hard to clean them off afterward.

There are exceptions, of course. There are experienced people who help others out. There aren't enough of them, though. Many beginners with great potential are turned away from this community by rude individuals who often aren't very knowledgeable themselves. And for what reason?