It's what the 'so-called intellectuals' do when an idea crosses their path, that defines their intellectual stature.
A case in point. Thailand's leading university elects not to allow an Indian Professor to mentor a project. Main reason: Thais are better than Indians - we don't want to lose face.
The Indian happens to be currently mentoring 12 Indians, 4 foreigners - Australia, Japan, UK, SA. He is one of the top names in the world of aeronautics.
The dominant reason the Thais didn't really want him, however, was that he understood the topic - they could not. Period.