From what I've seen personally, it's not us who have the superiority complex, it's actually non-STEMmers who have some kind of inferiority complex and go into defensive mode.
It comes from a combination of feeling better than others due to holding power
That's some kind of evil image you guys created of us. There will always be assholes who feel above others in every field, whether they are actually good at what they do or not.
and also secretly resenting their own inability for creativity,
I've heard that argument three times in the last month. I liked taking philosophy and psychology in high school, they were my favorite subjects. Just because I got into software engineering doesn't mean I don't appreciate and research into other subjects. I know many people in my course who are also artists and use their creativity in their works. Being in engineering or similar doesn't mean you aren't creative. Even if some of us don't like thinking about the world the same way you do, it doesn't mean we don't look at other problems and try to solve them. Different tastes for thinking subjects, nothing wrong with that.
Thus their statements regarding "economy" are just a weird and ultimately ignorant reflection of their being out of touch with the wider situation.
What wider situation? Money is needed to survive in this world, that's the situation at the moment. The fact is that thinking about the world doesn't feed me and my family, doesn't put clothes on my back, it doesn't shelter me from the rain and the cold. But you've probably read/heard this before and perhaps you don't agree. I'd love to spend my days learning how to paint and sculpt, but I also love writing code and solving problems. I chose the option that would give me money (at least a bit easier) to support my family in the future and I don't regret it. Is this that wrong?
Ironically, robots and AI will replace STEM jobs long before the value of philosophy or art is lost, meaning that in the very long run it is more likely that some day philosophers and artists will be telling people like those above that it is "too bad" and "their fault" for thinking that their interests should be supported by society.
Although fields in AI aren't really that evolved yet (and being man-made makes them obviously fail-guaranteed), that's actually something we talk about in AI. What will happen to the economy when robots do ours jobs, etc. It's an actual concern being discussed in the field. I actually look forward to a world like that (even though I probably won't live to see it), where we can appreciate arts and philosophy a bit more.