Even in this country, at least in the midwest/ozarkian stringband circles I tend to frequent, there is a certain amount of friendly ribbing from the other instrumentalists directed at the banjo players - regarding their drooling,constant retuning etc - we don't have nuthin against the banjer, but thems that play'em can be a might strange. *ducks for cover*

A bit of cultural snobbism for the euro based viol, mando and guitar over the homespun gourd-on-a-stick? Some vestige of racism? Jealousy?Or is there more to it?

I would agree that use of the banjo as sole accompaniment for voice or fiddle has dropped off in these parts as compared to the golden age. In my humble opinion, as a former banjo player, I think it is just too tough for a lot of people (present company excepted to be sure) to make sound really good by itself.