Sometimes those jerks make me angry, sometimes I just feel sorry for them. I'm engaged in something that I love, why would that move people to hurl abuse?

Regarding the sub-debate about whether this kind of abuse correlates positively or negatively with education, I would say that it does correlate negatively. It's not that smart or educated people are overall more courteous or not prone to being arrogant, etc.. it's more that education has a tendency to to moderate public boorish behavior. The educated find other ways to be jerks.