Maybe it's a European thing. In the U.S. it matters a lot more if you went to University of Virginia or Liberty "University" for example, which are in different universes of respectability despite both being in Virginia. I'd say educated Americans care a lot more about what school you went to than where that school was located. And Jeff Skillings of Enron went to HBS, so clearly even the best school can graduate financial thieves.
Europe's education system, just like Canada's, is a meritocracy, while the US one is a plutocracy. Hence the relevance of one's country of education.
So I see what you're saying in that you assume all schools in say France are of the same caliber, although I'd have to think an INSEAD grad would pretty strongly disagree with that, and i-banking and consulting recruiting tend to back that up. Canada is actually far more homogenous in university quality than a place like France or the U.K. at least among MBAs. I would caution not to conflate homogeneity of education systems with meritocracy vs plutocracy. I was somehow able to slip into my MBA program despite being the son of a low grade civil servant dad and a stay at home mom and the product of a fairly crappy public (which unlike the UK actually means public) K-12 education system in a very rural area, and I was a civil servant myself at the time. My MBA program had about a 7% acceptance rate, but wouldn't you know that I had classmates from around the country and the world and from all income levels. Probably fewer than a dozen came from a rich family and they'd all done exceptional things on their own without daddy's help or money. Same thing with my undergrad program, but that was one of the service academies so maybe not the best example. There's certainly legacy admissions consideration at some of the private universities, after all George W did get into HBS and Trump got into Wharton undergrad, but by and large the top schools are pretty damn meritocratic in the U.S. my experience.
I am not assuming anything, Sig, and I think you seem educated enough to guess it. I was speaking in general. And it is common perception everywhere in the world that the US is not ruled by an intellectual elite, but rather by a rich and powerful one, grossly manipulating its crassly ignorant populace. And this, I believe, includes the education system.
Your description is a very apt one when describing the current Presidential administration. It couldn't be more wrong when it comes to the education system, and wrong on so many levels. Again be careful to to conflate things that aren't really in any way related.
There is a huge amount of money going into scholarships for minorities in the us, it isn't strictly a plutocracy, and it definitely isn't meritocratic.
Americans are not "crassly ignorant". The ones you are aware of may be, but there is a deep well of intelligent,moral, well-dispositioned people hidden in the small towns of north americas vast expanse. Not hard-nosed and money seeking, spiritual and loyal, I have met incredible people in the most unlikely places. There is a reason america is the wealthiest economy on earth, it drinks from these wells. You cannot thank the explotative buisnesses or welfare dependent parasites for american success.
I respect (and appreciate!!) your post, but you are writing of individuals. "'Merica" as a whole are not only crassly ignorant, but worse, *righteous* about it. "Da-ammmmmmn!"