title: Explain "C fundamentally has a corrupt type system"
body: <p>In the book <a href="http://apress.com/book/view/1430219483" rel="noreferrer">Coders at Work</a> (p355), Guy Steele says of C++:</p>
  
  <blockquote>
    <p>I think the decision to be
    backwards-compatible with C is a fatal
    flaw. It’s just a set of difficulties
    that can’t be overcome. <strong>C
    fundamentally has a corrupt type
    system</strong>. It’s good enough to help you
    avoid some difficulties but it’s not
    airtight and you can’t count on it</p>
  </blockquote>
  
  <p>What does he mean by describing the type system as "corrupt"?</p>
  
  <p>Can you demonstrate with a simple example in C?</p>
  
  <p><strong>Edit</strong>:</p>
  
  <ol>
  <li><p>The quote sounds polemic, but I'm not trying to be. I simply want to understand what he means.</p></li>
  <li><p>Please give examples in <strong>C</strong> not <strong>C++</strong>. I'm interested in the "fundamentally" part too :)</p></li>
  </ol>