I've noticed Europeans, especially Germans and ones from Scandinavia, display this when they are amongst Americans, and Americans alone. I'd say this is a thinly-veiled form of envy, not exhibited while they are in the midst of other nationalities.
GE Healthcare has a center in Sweden, where Americans, Germans and the Swedish, end up working together. You can see it all the time, there.
She was in mixed groups. I do know there were Brits, Belgians and French involved. The Europeans wanted to talk politics which she said the American contingent wasn’t interested in.
I have heard Europeans doing as you say. It was Brits though trying to act superior to a group of American high school kids.