As a “smart person” (other people’s assessment; I just try to get by like everybody else), I truly dislike the term “intellectual”. Perhaps we should revel in the appellation “anti-intellectual”.
Poul Anderson once wrote a Long Night story called “A Tragedy of Errors”, in which certain Anglic words took on opposite meanings after raiders despoiling a certain planet ironically called themselves “friends”. The word “intellectual”, if indeed it has not already taken on a negative or opposite meaning in our own time, is on track to do the same. So-called “intellectuals” have long been the bane of our free society, as they are anything but sympathetic to freedom — most seem to believe that “rule by betters” is the way of the future.
The question is whether we will end up proving them correct. Let’s hope not.
At the same time, we must guard against falling into the trap of destroying people who really are intelligent and thoughtful by tarring them with the “intellectual” brush. Thus did the Chinese during their Cultural Revolution, and look where it got them…