It's not the lack of knowledge or "elementary" questions that draw ridicule. It's the lack of doing ANY work prior to coming to ask for help that gets the condescension.
For example if the OP would have done a little bit of homework, such as a Google search, particularly of this site, then they would have found the answer to their question, or at the very least, been able to frame their question in a much better manner.
We all started out knowing very little. However, through a little bit of self-directed research, many of us have become the engineer that we are today. Eng-tips is not a forum for spoon-feeding any one. Show a little bit of initiative, an indication that you have thoroughly researched a problem, and if are still stumped, you are very welcome to ask a good, thought-provoking question.
Clueless questions, or "I don't want to do the research, please tell me what I need to know" questions will continue to receive healthy doses of ridicule and condescension.