I agree that there's a special form of intellectual arrogance. We could distinguish between left-brained and right-brained versions of this hubris. I recently watched a debate between some prominent physicists, and they dismissed each other's views based on palpable ego.

But I don't think there's much merit in the majority's perception of some outsiders as clownish. That's just a case of tribalism. Insiders are always prone to viewing outsiders as clownish. Take any two groups that are in conflict. Each side is likely to misrepresent the other, and the outsiders will come across as strange merely because they're playing a different game.

Intellectuals can just as easily regard normies as ridiculous and unbalanced, given their different ideals. I don't think that kind of tribal reaction takes us far.