Your take is interesting on several levels. Most art in the major (and even lesser) museums was donated or is on loan from the very wealthy. They are there for the benefit of the hoi polloi who can choose to enjoy it or not.
Nearly every day during the school year, school buses are lined up outside the museums of the Smithsonian Institution so young children can be introduced to art, to history, to science. Charter buses from around the country abound in summer as well as throughout the year. The Smithsonian is called our “nation’s attic” for good reason. Our country’s history, its customs, and culture are treasures, all on display for the people to enjoy. Or not.
There is nothing quite like seeing an original piece of timeless art in person. It’s the difference between seeing a classic movie on an iPad vs. seeing it on a big screen. Or reading Cliff’s Notes vs. reading a great novel. Magnified and on steroids.
Let’s take the famous painting of Washington crossing the Delaware as an example. I must have seen its reproductions hundreds of times in my life. Last year I saw the original at NYC’s Metropolitan Museum and was absolutely blown away. It is not, no matter what you claim, comparable to calling it up on the internet or seeing a magazine cover or any other alternative to the real thing.
I don’t know why you think people working in museums despise those who go there. Most people the public see ‘working’ in museums are volunteers who love the art (or history or science or whatever other subject the museum covers). I’ve only ever met very enthusiastic tour guides and docents who enjoy telling the stories behind the exhibits.
Who decides?