CPUs have gotten so complex that mastering their language (and behavior) is a skill on its own. Most people can get on with compiled/interpreted languages.
Additionally, for those interested in the area of software security, this is a very useful layer to know well about, even if one has learned assembly language in another (popular) processor family. Knowing what features processors provide (like the support for virtual memory, among other things), and how they work, are also quite useful.
Saying those of us who didn't grow up on asm aren't true geeks rings of No True Scotsman to me.
In addition, just because we weren't born a decade earlier doesn't mean we think JS is low level. That's just a flat-out mischaracterization.