Why are prog fans such music snobs?

ce n'est pas vrai 

My counter to that is the kind of people that are prog fans but are ALSO close-minded. Plenty of proggers listen to prog exclusively and crap on other genres, not realizing that they've traded a following of the "corporate machine" for a following of "superior" music. Everyone thinks they are following their instincts. But no one knows when they're subconsciously being influenced, whether it's by an outside force, or by their own pretensions/insecurities. I think the proportion of prog fans or other eclectic genre fans that scoff at commercial music without a second thought is about the same as the proportion of fans of commercial genres and sub-genres who would scoff at prog or generally non-commercial music. I think many tend to both vastly underestimate how many non-prog listeners are still adventurous, and overestimate their own intellect. 

A genre you enjoy isn't necessarily indicative of how open- or close-minded you are towards art forms.

I can't help but wonder how someone like you can write a post like this with so much insight into the personality of a prog snob and yet still consider yourself socially inept. With this level self awareness, I am sure you are way more socially capable than you give yourself credit for. 

good for you I guess... 

Personally I listen to many different types of music, prog included. There is adventurous music within many genres, but also a lot of music that is not. F.e. I don't think highly of all prog either.

But the thing is, some people are so burried in one type of music that they judge everything else based on that kind of music. F.e. I have heard jazzheads crap on rock music because they don't improvise as much. I also remember a Danish article about the revival of folk music, and the comment section was full of derogatory comments about "playing on combs and washboards" and so on. Obviously, those people didn't know that there is a lot of very sophisticated folk music out there. Or else, they didn't want to know because they felt the need to defend their own very narrow taste as superior. And if you don't have the agruments, what's more easy than to be derogatory and sardonic..