I think one needs to size the
tool for the
task.
If you are writing something in which speed and control is critical, like an operating system, or a game, you will need to use a low level language. Even in this case you need to make a choice. Writing the whole program in assembly language might not be very efficient.
If, on the other hand, you are writing a simple program to retrieve some data from a database over the Internet, process it somewhat, then present it to the user, it would be foolish to waste resources on developing this in C when languages like Python and Perl lend themselves perfectly to this kind of task.
I do not use a wrench to build an entire car, and just as seldom do I assemble my IKEA furniture in a robotic assembly plant. I think this is just a matter of common sense.
The discussion of comparing C to other similar languages, however, is something completely different.