I do think you have a point. I spent all of Season 3 in Bronze, and managed to break into Silver just after the end of the season. No shiny border for me :(
Anyway, far as I can tell, the Silver players all think they're basically pro players. They haven't quite figured out that they're quite far away from it. So, since they're all pro, whenever a "Bronze" player accidentally finds themselves in Silver, the players are quick to point it out so that they don't let anyone tarnish their Silver reputation.
For example, in my promo series to get into Silver, I was playing with and against all Silver players. I took Galio mid (Galio pulled me out of Bronze, by the way), and I got stale-mated by a Cho'Gath. Neither of us died and both of us farmed a lot. However, a well-farmed Cho is far more devastating than a well-farmed Galio. I couldn't compete when it came time for team fights.
"You belong in Bronze." was one of the nicer ways my teammates put it. Before the match, they were all complimentary about my series and said they would be helpful. I was hardly the reason we lost, though Cho had a lot to do with the aggression the other team got away with.
I blasted through my next 3 games and won every one of them. I also climbed straight into Silver IV within a few days after adopting that fearsome Cho'Gath back into my rotation.
TLDR: Silver players are struggling with middle-class syndrome where they know they are better than some, but jealous of those above them and feeling like it's bad luck that keeps them from advancing.