As an academic this is something that I find annoying and deeply depressing. Some of the people in my profession really do seem to have contempt for their students.

Interestingly, these disturbing attitudes are most prevalent amongst those who concentrate on teaching and don't do any research. My suspicion is that they feel insecure and so they they need something to feel good about; superiority over the students gives them the validation they require.

Here's an example. One place I worked they kept a book in the coffee room. The book contained "amusing" mistakes that students made in exams or in course work. Sometimes a group would sit around laughing about how stupid the students were and how little they knew.

This is really weird. If the students really know so little whose fault is that? Probably the people giggling at the howlers were the same people who had failed to carry out their duties as educators properly. I hope I never get so cynical.