That much I know...but why the derogatory terms for smart people?

@Robecology Eggheads was an old term. It goes back to school. The lunch room. Students congregated in groups. Jock table, delinquent table, black kids table, smart kids table etc Smart kids always got bullied. Don't know why.

@barjoe Good point....but that, too, was uniquely American in origin.

A similar, though not necessarily pejorative, British term is "Boffin".

] The term egghead reached its peak currency during the 1950s, when vice-presidential candidate Richard Nixon used it against Democratic Presidential nominee Adlai Stevenson. It was used by Bill Clinton advisor Paul Begala in the 2008 presidential campaign to describe Senator Barack Obama's supporters when he said, "Obama can't win with just the eggheads and African-Americans.

[en.wikipedia.org]