Insightful? Really? Usually for satire, you use the Funny mod. Either myself or the mods are misunderstanding, but I'll respond anyways because this commonly heard quote has *layers* of stupidity. First, the simplest. If everyone was smart, *no one* would work at McDonald's because everyone would realize what shit food it is and stop eating there.
Is this actually an argument for the promotion of ignorance? No, it's not. It's a way for us to confirm our belief in the American Meritocracy. I don't want to work at McDonald's, that's why I did my homework. Everyone had an equal chance in school. It's what we tell ourselves to help us sleep at night while others starve to death, a shame on our abundant society if ever there was one. But not everyone has an equal chance in school. The inequities are everywhere and in plain sight. If you go to visit schools in China, you will have an escort choose which schools to see. In the US, you can get a visitor pass from any school, any day of the week. You can visit the affluent, suburbian school and the rundown, ghetto school in the same day, with no special permission. At least the Chinese recognize the injustices as shameful and try to hide them. We, however, are shameless. To discuss a solution is to abandon our illusion. And, hey, somebody's gotta clean the toilets, am I right? Eh?
Finally, the comment betrays the truth of the education system. It's an economic sorting engine. It's a drawn-out college entrance exam. The truth is, we need factory workers. Why do you think we cram active children into seats in small, almost windowless rooms and drown them in rote, mindless exercises? We could ask why dropout rates are so high. We could ask why there are disparities in grades between economic and cultural groups. We could really question the goals of this machine we've built. We could ask you what you could possibly have against a smarter, more informed populace. But, hey, somebody's gotta wash the dishes, am I right? Eh?