What words could be used as antonyms of intelligentsia?
The author of the book I am editing chose to use the word "unintelligentsia" in order to emphasise the (assumed) unintelligent or uncultured nature of the lower classes. I am seeking alternative antonyms.
The sentence in question, in reference to a popular TV show involving legal cases:
He wisely decided that watching the {unintelligentsia} being scolded by a cranky old lady was the better choice.
The author's explanation of why he chose to use unintelligentsia:
My use of the word unintelligentsia was meant to be playful. In the same way that Intelligentsia isn’t a pejorative, per se, but is often used as one, Unintelligentsia can be used and argued that it’s a neutral word. Although no one will believe you.
Proletariat might be suitable if you take the word literally, but when you’re using the word as a subtle insult, then you need a different antonym. Pleb is closer, but it’s definitely derogatory and doesn’t carry any sense of the group having their own culture.
So, in summary, I was looking for a word that isn’t overtly derogatory, and that describes a class of people that have (1) a shallow culture, and (2) a sense that being uneducated makes them, in some way, superior to well-educated people.
Example sentence:
I wouldn't want to socialise with anyone from the {antonym of intelligentsia}; they're too unintelligent and uncultured for me
Best Answer
"idiocracy" is the term coined by cult director Mike Judge (Beavis and Butthead, Office Space) in his 2006 film of that name. Wikipedia described it as: