HWD, you are indeed a cynic! Moreover, such an attitude will cause problems when your knowledge of what is right is overridden by your concern about who's looking and what they will think.
Professionalism in aviation is primarily about safety. Not exclusively; the task which your employer has set you deserves to be carried out as well as possible, but safety considerations must always override everything else. That is what you are employed for: your expertise in keeping the employer's customers safe is what keeps him in business. All employers are keenly aware of what an accident will do to their business prospects, and if your employer needs reminding there are plenty of examples of airlines that have gone to the wall after fatal accidents. If that isn't enough to persuade you that you serve only one master, self-preservation ought to fill in the gaps!
Scroggs