I will say that getting a question ignored when asked in a manner that is contrary to the rules of that community is normal. People not reading the rules and guidelines and asking inappropriately is very common and results in a lot of burnout.

But you are correct - it takes little effort to not be an asshole, and in those situations one should just move on and let the powers that be clean it up.

I don't think it is about needing a doctorate beforehand and I find your characterization of @it_depends_man@lemmy.world's advice on social etiquette weirdly non-sequitur and white knighty. Would you walk into a religious place of worship, a strip club, a gun range, or Costco without at least knowing how to interact with that space? Wearing your magic underwear? Bring enough fives? Ear protection? Membership card?

The point being virtual spaces are weird and full of weird people that live in their head. And they make communities that have implicit and explicit rules like all communities. And if you're wading neck deep into a pool of internet weirdos (their pool, mind you, you're the outsider traipsing in wanting their knowledge and wisdom) and want your question answered, the lurk and learn advice from above is solid.

Does it suck? Maybe? I can see it from the community's perspective where they set the barrier to entry.

Asking questions is fine; asking without doing prior research is fine too.

No one's entitled to an answer & certainly not a polite one if they fail to show consideration for others by putting sensible effort themselves. That's not called a doctorate, that's called trying.

Contrary to your opinion, those "assholes" may be doing OP a favor by pointing out the question is deficient. Most volunteers respond to an ineptly posed question by ignoring it. This is rational: which question would you rather answer?

• A well-prepared question that hadn't been answered before & that provides all the information relevant to answer it.
• A poorly prepared question that requires the answerer to sink in significantly more resources with painful back-and-forth to elicit missing information & point out basic resources.

Getting questions answered sooner by reducing the effort & pain to answer them is in everyone's interest.

Learning how to learn & ask questions well are indispensable skills. If you want to keep asking questions unintelligently, though, then you can expect to wear out the patience & good will of the volunteers answering them. Just as you are free to not try, everyone else is free & entitled to go full asshole on that bullshit.