John Hawkins notes that there isn't very much "elite" or "intellectual" about today's elites and intellectuals:

That means the talented actors, programmers, and investment bankers may be geniuses at what they do, but once you get outside their field of expertise, they're not "elite" in any other area. Is there any reason to trust Warren Buffet's opinion on immigration? Is Al Gore really smarter than other people when it comes to global warming? Should Sean Penn really be anyone's "go to" guy on which economic system is best for America? They may have fame and wealth, but outside of their narrow little areas of expertise, there's nothing "elite" about any of them.

Even worse are the legions of "elites" and "intellectuals" who haven't accomplished anything of note, truly proven their intellect or shown that they're particularly good at anything.