I suspect that 'smart-people insults' are somewhat universal. Ironically (the article's from japantimes.com) there's a (reportedly well-known) Japanese saying

I suspect that 'smart-people insults' are somewhat universal. Ironically (the article's from japantimes.com) there's a (reportedly well-known) Japanese saying that might explain it: “The nail that sticks out shall be hammered down.” (Found that at this longest-url-contender:) https://www.quora.com/What-do-you-think-about-the-Japanese-proverb-The-nail-that-sticks-out-shall-be-hammered-down-Do-you-think-its-cruel-Or-do-you-think-its-normal-Or-are-there-any-similar-proverbs https://www.quora.com/What-do-you-think-about-the-Japanese-p...