Poor College Students?

An interesting article about college debt and spending habits.
Is school really that much more expensive, or does our generation have stupid spending habits? I'm as guilty as everyone else. Going out for coffee or dinner is often a weekly experience. Concerts...driving hours to see friends...I probably spend $40 a week on entertainment and stuff I don't really need. that's $160 a month...almost $2000 a year!
I know people who spend at least twice that. People who blow paychecks like they did in high school and have no concept of saving or paying bills or what credit card interest will do to them.
Maybe we're all bad money managers who don't understand what it's like to live within our means. Is it up to society to subsidize our education so that we can continue living our 'grown up' lifestyle without 'grown up' jobs and 'grown up' degrees?
Then again...what about the people that really do pinch every single penny and rely on pell grants and loans to pull them through school? I don't know that I've ever met anybody like that...