I don't like responding to anecdotes with anecdotes, so rather than reply with a (IMO pointless) "what?! I hear people talk about C as a low-level language far more often than I hear them talk about it as a systems language", I prefer to give something more substantial.

Restricting my hastily assembled search to HN, I easily find comments from within the last few months referring to C as a low-level language ... and yes, as a systems language too.

HN is a casual setting with newer programmers.