> I think that the idea that Lisp is for smart people is misguided and wrong.

I think it's a misunderstanding. People think that other people are like them (and in particular, think like them).

I think that some languages are a better fit for how some people think. Other languages are a better fit for how other people think. It's not "smart vs. dumb", it's different thinking styles.

Now, if FP (or at least non-procedural) fits your thinking style better, and all you've known is procedural or OO languages, when you run across Lisp it's this amazing, magical experience. You never knew programming could be like this. It's enlightening and freeing. It just fits.

But when you try to tell someone else, and they say, "Eh, Lisp never really clicked for me", you think: "How can it 'not click'? It's this wonderful, magical language!" It's really easy to assume "they're stupid" instead of "they think differently".