This is a risky line of argument, because you can very easily end up convincing yourself that you're intelligent, The System doesn't respect you, so therefore The System doesn't respect intelligence.

It's possible for it to be true, but it's also something that every midwit on the planet has told themselves at one point or another.

Now intelligence is multi-dimensional, and IQ is only an estimate, but my personal experience has been that wealthy entrepreneurs and investors I've talked to have always impressed me with their ability to discuss complex subject matter across a wide variety of topics. Working class people, not so much.

> Systems of power as often as not, and especially over time, trend towards EXCLUDING intelligence

Now "intelligence" is one of those words which is very hard to exactly define, but I would propose that the intelligent man can, almost by definition, convince the fool that he is a fool as well. So any system which depends on fools identifying and excluding the intelligent will eventually be usurped.