Yes, we are not talking about some random programming language of a textbook like Ada or Algol. Virtually any system you actually interact with in the real worl

Yes, we are not talking about some random programming language of a textbook like Ada or Algol. Virtually any system you actually interact with in the real world has a very high probability that it was built in C. At one point, it was nearly a lingua franca. I do not argue it is the greatest language or any box you're trying to put me in. I argue that a proficient programmer with the goal of being well versed in programming (not just "computer science" as you dismissively wrote) should be knowledgeable of C and C++ or at least desire to be and not have some strange attitude of promoting it's ignorance ...