I don't know if you went to college, but let's say you did.
Call it the University of Running.
You worked hard, you got good grades, etc.
Your diploma means something.
You are now a proud alumni.
But recently your school has lowered their standards.
Kids are studying for a total of ten minutes/week and bombing the tests. However, if they fail, they complain and the University has a bottom dollar to think about so everyone gets a passing grade no matter how badly they did on the test and no matter how little work they put into it.
Students are celebrated for taking 15 courses per semester, it doesn't matter that they receive an inflated D- in all 15 courses, because, wow, that's a lot of courses, so who cares if they don't actually learn anything at all.
Now, when people hear the name of your University, they picture the D- minus student who graduated "with honors" and who cause to tuition being jacked up so that everyone could get a special shiny diploma that is bigger than the diploma at Rival University.
"But Jerkface, isn't studying 10 minutes a week better than the kid who dropped out of high school and works at the Goodyear plant making tires and watching the clock until it's time to hit the bar for 6 hours each night?"
Maybe it is, Maniac, but don't ask me to celebrate, or even tolerate, either one.