Those Cretans!
I had the same thought. However, the word Cretan is not the same as cretin. It is possible that some Cretans were cretins.
‘Epimenides of Gnossus, a seventh-century BC poet, prophet, and native Cretan characterized his own people as liars:
“Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons.”’
That sounds like an exaggeration.