c173 while Australia and PNG GA have been the training grounds for a LOT of very successful and highly skilled airline pilots its also supplied quite a few absolute dickheads.
Cadetships supply utter dickheads too.
% wise its probably a wash.
In the old days you could beat the ******** out of most and fail/sack the died in the wool dickheads - now that is against the law.
GA without structure and self discipline is NOT the same as the old 3rd level airline system was years ago - The Kendals/Hazos/Talair/Tillair type companies that supplied a LOT of pilots with LOTS of HIGH quality experience.
Having said that I am sick to death with the mantra of 2000hr meat bombing GA cowboys - that I suspect is MOSTLY propagated by cadets because thats what they are told by HR - 2000hr meat bombing cowboys NEVER got into airlines.