I had a similar epiphany, though it also coincided with my second divorce, so who's to say where it really came from?
My inner thought wasn't "Who cares?" though, it was "Why wrestle in the mud with a pig? All you'll get is a broken arm, covered in mud, blood, sweat, and who knows what the fuck else. To top it all off, the pig enjoyed the hell out of it."
You can see why this epiphany may have coalesced at or around the same time my divorce finalized. Still though, I think Reddit had a hoof in this too.
I have never understood why this was the go to punishment for students that didn't want to be at school.
"Don't want to be at school? Well then, fine! You're not allowed at school. Ha, that sure showed that rambunctious rascal!"
"Uhh..." plays Zelda or whatever