I read it as unsarcastic but self-aware. "I am unashamedly an intellectual and unashamedly consider that X is better than Y and yes, I know that some people reg

I read it as unsarcastic but self-aware. "I am unashamedly an intellectual and unashamedly consider that X is better than Y and yes, I know that some people regard that sort of thinking as necessarily pretentious and stupid, and I want to indicate that I'm aware of that kind of critique without actually taking up space in what I'm writing to address it."