I would like to expand on the term gate lice: I wouldn't think of it as degenerate objectification of a subgroup of people, but rather a fun and creative word to discribe the masses that usually, but not exclusively, crowd the gate area long before baording starts or their group is called. It isn't meant as an insult, at least not in the cases I used it. I totally understand it for I too always wanted to board first due to an unexplainable drive to it and some illogical anxiety, but I have etried to control myself and have been rather successful in recent years. Luckily due to the status that comes with flying I've been allowed to board first, which has made that urge to crowd the gate kinda go away, since now I rather opt for either boarding as very first or as one of the very last people (Depending on cabin class, overhead availability and my mood that day).
I didn't see that many issues with the term because I thought it was used in good humor and mutual understanding here. Similar like the terms "cattle class" or "unwashed masses" which I have reduced myself to use only with people who understand that I use these terms only in good humor, for the exact reason that the terms appear rather unrespectfull and insulting if taken seriously.
But as always this obviously goes both ways: There are always some unfortunate souls that think of themselves as better than anybody else, being it because of sitting in the front or because they define themselves to a metal colored plastic card. But I've experienced it just as much the other way around where some people sitting behind make snobbish comments about the people boarding first or sitting up front.
Just recently on a flight from ARN with me sitting in 3C, the boarding was in full motion when a queue in the plane corridor. There were two rather young and shaby looking guys starting to make comments in the likes of: "Oh look here's where the better people sit" and "To sit here you must htink of yourself as better than everybody behind" or "What a bunch of snobs" etc. I've refrained from giving a passiv aggressive answer in the likes of "Sorry, I couldn't quite udnerstand you over the sound of me drinking my champagen" or "Yep, looking at you your assesements are certainly correct." Those would have been just unecessary and rude and additionally at the time I couldn't think of any good answer.
While arguably this could be seen as a case of them seeing themselves as better or more deserving of the front seats than the people sitting ther or maybe as them thinking thepeople sitting there thought themselves as better than anybody else (because surely there isn't any other reason to fly Business Class). I'm sure one could write a whole book abotu the psychology of people in different booking classes while boarding airplanes.
In conclusion I've found the comments to still be rather rude. It's not always the DYKWIA but sometimes it's the people saying DYKWTTTA (Do you knwo who they think they are?).
It's unfortunate that some people seem to see a class difference due to their boarding time or the class which they are flying. These are of course only isolated events, I still think and hope that this is the opinion of only a minority and that the majority of people don't define themselves over their cabin class or boaarding time, we are after all still all human and frankly I think it isn't to much to ask for to treat each other respectfully no matter the cabin class.