Aspirations of Mediocrity

I'm going back to school, and I must say that I am shocked at how far the attitudes of undergrads have degenerated since my last venture with higher education. We have a very generous teacher. Not soft, mind you! He doesn't give you a grade you don't deserve, but he does a lot, I think, to make sure you understand the material. He tells you exactly what material will be covered on the test, so that you know what you need to study. And still over half the class is flunking. Now, this is a pretty good class. There are several who ask a lot of questions and participate in the discussion, but everyone except for two people make a 'C' or lower on the test. There can be no reason for this except that they do not study. Now, this is not a shock in and of itself. What I find completely shocking is that these kids think a 'C' is a good grade and they shouldn't need to do any better.  Now, when I was in college before, a professor told me that a grade merely reflects (or at least, SHOULD reflect) your knowledge of a subject: 'A' means you know the material cold; 'B' means you know it pretty well; 'C' means you barely know the material; and he basically equated 'D' and 'F' as the same grade, insinuating that you could guess and B.S. your way to a 'D' grade, but didn't really know your ass from a hole in the ground. I tend to agree with this. 

Now, I realize that each generation thinks the next one is lax and lazy, but I'm fairly sure there has ever been a time before where a 'C' grade has been glorified as a "good" grade. I thought 'C' students were poor students! And it makes me incredibly sad to hear these students, whom I can tell are actually very bright, happily sharing their 71 with their classmates and saying, "I'm so relieved. That's what I wanted to do!" Really? You only aspire to mediocrity?

What does this imply for the future of our country? What will it mean when these kids enter the workforce and think they should not be expected to do any more than the minimum to get by? What will it mean when these kids become parents, and pass this mentality on to their offspring? It does clear up one thing for me, though: it is no wonder this country is headed towards socialism when its rising generations equate "not failing" to be the same thing as "succeeding".