I got involved in amateur astrophotography years ago. Regardless of what forum I visited or how elementary the question, I was always greeted by replies from users who were more than enthusiastic to help me further my understanding of even the most basic principles of the hobby.
From what I have seen in the past year since first being licensed, amateur radio is one of the few hobbies in which there is a great proportion of practioners who for some inexplicable reason feel they must segregate themselves from the new entrants into the hobby. The assumption that I'm not a "man" because I didn't have to suffer through code to pass is preposterous and speaks to some hidden inadequacy that someone who posts such nonsense must be harboring.
New ops need support, not discouragement from curmudgeons who pride themselves on belittling others. If you're unable to do so, please keep your negativity to yourself.
Astrophotography does not have testing requirements before you are allowed to participate, nor does it allow different levels of access and technology based on testing results and licensing. Anytime you have testing and codified different privileges some will perceive themselves as "better" because they have tested to a higher level, regardless of their actual capabilities or performance. Side note, it is interesting how many hams are also into astronomy in some way, and astrophotography particularly.
However I have to disagree with part of what you say. There is not "a great proportion of practioners who for some inexplicable reason feel they must segregate themselves from the new entrants into the hobby". The number is quite few and getting fewer every year, particularly with regards to the fact one might, or might not, have passed a code test. Of course, even though few in number those types are the ones that tend to be remembered.
Even in this thread, now up around 170 post, only a very few discuss code at all, and fewer still advocate code testing in todays world.
Did I take code tests? Yes, several. However I would never advocate bringing back code testing as a requirement to licensing, I know too many now proven good hams who were kept out of the hobby by code. Does that mean I think / thought code testing was a bad thing? No.
When code testing was a requirement the average ham entering the hobby had better exposure and more familiarity with the basics of ham radio before he was ever allowed to key a transmitter. While one could study for the test all alone and potentially pass the written portion without any exposure to the hobby, just as today, as a practical matter that was very hard to do (and I know of no one who did it) with regards to the CW elements of the testing. To learn CW almost everyone had to interact with people who already were licensed hams, via local face-to-face code practice, shared club resources like tapes, and on-air monitoring. With this interaction the newbs potential knowledge base grew. Of course it was still up to him to make use of this potential knowledge.
It was not the CW itself that made the person a more informed potential ham, but the interaction that occurred during building those CW skills. Even when not described as such this was mentoring, or Elmering, if you prefer. This means almost every ham who entered the hobby at that time had support and encouragement. In today's world human interaction, and transfer of learned skills, is on the decrease. Today you can read all the required information to pass all of the test online, take practice exams online until you ace them all (regardless of if you have learned the information or just the answers), show up at a schedule testing session that you found online, test for and walk out with a CSCE for the highest license class possible. And until you received the testing materials from the VE you might have never talked with an actual ham or had any exposure to ham radio outside the published question pool.
Don't say it does not happen, I know people who have done it.
So while I can't see a code requirement as a good thing, I can see the forced interaction it brought about as a very good thing indeed. In my opinion that near universal support for people wanting to enter the hobby has gone away, and I have no idea what can bring it back.
But, that has nothing to do with the Extra test, as it is not supposed to be an entry level test of any kind
Are there bad Extras? You bet, always has been, always will be. Also bad Generals and Techs. Ham radio is a cross section of the society it comes from, with the same ratios of idiots, great guys, and middle of the roaders.
T!