Avi K, I feel obligated to protest your wholesale dismissal of an entire segment of K’lal Yisrael.
Fortunately for me, you made it easy – your derisive mode of expression does more to discredit your opinion than anything I could write.
I would just note that I believe your revision of history is a particularly artful piece of propaganda. As far as I know, Chassidism did not start as “a populist rebellion against the learned elites.” Can you prove this? Which “leader” and publicly desecrated Yom Kippur?
Which “leader” said horrible things about Talmidei Chachamim? (What did he say? Did he insinuate that they are narcissistic, greedy, lazy and hypocritical? Are those horrible things to say?)
My understanding is that Chassidus began with the Ba’al Shem Tov and his Talmidim, all of whom were themselves great Talmidei Chachamim, and was intended to provide an avenue for the ignorant masses to serve Hashem.