It's part of our job to educate clients on what we bring to the project.

If you hear the above stated in a meet-and-greet, and they are not amenable to listening as you explain what we really do and how we do it, move to the next group of folks. 

the ironic part is that this was coming from a licensed GC

I get paid for what I know, not what  I do

Any client that thinks that is a first time amateur.  That's why seasoned clients are the best - they know the process, consultants, make quick decisions, understand the value of each member of the team in addition to the importance of an architect running the show.  

It's not ironic but expected that a GC might say that.

^ Exactly, says that but knows better.

I don't think I really became an architect until I was called a cartoonist by a contractor.

whoever told you that never understood what is beyond the lines that is drawn

suggest to anyone who says that that they try to do it themselves

Because a GC knows how to build things and devalues an architect's role because of that knowledge. Making a successful or even functional building at anything above a residential scale would be a non starter. But they are delusionally proud of our shitty american vinyl kingdom suburbs that they have created, so some of them are beyond help.

^ That's just as mindless a characterization as we architects have to put up with.  Dial it back a notch.

Not really. I gave them credit for being able to build stuff. I frequently seek input from contractors on cost effective and efficient ways to build or modify details to make them better (most of the time after contract award). But I'll stand by my comments that most are not very good designers or building/city planners. And I'm not even remotely sure how that position is analagous to a GC basically calling us drafters.

It was the tag line blaming all of suburbia on GC's I was referring to.