I should have been more clear: I agree with you on this and think C should be one of the batch of first languages students are exposed to (as the best choice in

I should have been more clear: I agree with you on this and think C should be one of the batch of first languages students are exposed to (as the best choice in its class at the moment). The OP seems far too biased towards C, though. What worked for me was early exposure each of: a specific teaching language (somewhat like Eiffel, within a simplified environment), C/C++ and Scheme. They each taught me very different things and I'm glad they were all offered in my undergrad, although I think they should offer Scheme earlier (IIRC it was part of an optional third year course, which also touched on e.g. Prolog).