She wrote a book. Then the arrogant white male read it. And referenced it while arguing with her, quoting the book. How he would argue with her if he did understand the book correctly
No, like, I get that he evidently didn't understand it, but I find your question strange as it presupposes that she is "flexing" about a paper rather than complaining about how presumptuous some of her fellows can be.
Okay, in my experience, as a recent PhD working in a science-related field, the scientific community is a comfortable place for people with superiority complex and for blatant fascists of all kinds.