I've been explicitly told by professors (who I would obviously prefer not to name) that they considered a C grade to be failing, and that more than one or two B

I've been explicitly told by professors (who I would obviously prefer not to name) that they considered a C grade to be failing, and that more than one or two B's during your academic career is unacceptable, at least if you're planning on grad school. So I agree it to be somewhat hypocritical to then turn around and wonder why students react to their grades this way.