"Intellectual" is not a dirty word. It disturbs me how often it is used as one.
On the other hand, many of those who are called "intellectuals"-- particularly "public intellectuals"-- are really just government extremists and elitists. They may have degrees and positions, but their position on issues is anti-intellectual. They follow the religion of statism and worship the god of government.
It is not rational to be a statist. It is vulgar to believe people should be governed by others, and to use politics as a tool for this purpose. Any illiterate punk might believe the same thing, but without claiming the "authority" to force everyone to go along.
They believe they know better how to run your life than you do. And they are willing to use government violence to prove it.
These people may be clever. They may be smart in some ways. But their ignorance and emotionalism overwhelm their intellect. They betray their own intellectualism with their belief system. They've decided which is more important to them, personally. And it's a shame.
Think of all the good they could have otherwise done if they are really as "intellectual" as they are made out to be. The world is poorer for having lost their contributions. When you side with darkness and ignorance-- with statism-- your intellect, if any, becomes a net negative to society.
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