Reply to The "club standard" CDJ. Lack of respect for controllerists. Why?

I recently talked to a really skilled / established DJ and producer. I asked him what gear he uses, and he said CDJs. When I told him I used a controller, he laughed then apologized, saying the standard was CDJs or Technics in the clubs/gigs he played at, and that barely anyone ever uses a controller, because no one takes them seriously. He agreed that controllers were good for an introduction to DJing though.

Why do CDJs command more respect? Is it because of the lack of sync? (which isnt the case anymore because new CDJs have it, rekordbox, etc..)

Are established DJs expected to "pay their way" by buying full CDJ/DJM setups before they're given respect / gigs, even if they can produce the same quality sound with a controller?

Do controllers give off some sort of "toy" aura? To me, some of them do, but they are only intended for an introduction anyway. A controller like a Kontrol S4 seems to me like professional gear . I've heard mixes produced on S4s that sound better than guys with CDJ/DJM/Technics/pimp-ass setups.

In the end, I believe respect should be given to people who make good sounding music. But I feel like there is this "pay your way" mentality from established DJs who don't want guys with controllers to show them up if their music is better.

But I don't have the experience to know for sure. Why aren't controllerists given the same respect as a CDJ/technics user?