...and like any other profession, it has a uniform, the purpose if which is not to enhance the ego of the wearer. It is simply to identify who is in charge, whether it be the flight deck, the cabin, or the ticket desk. It has nothing whatsoever to do with "look at me".
It always makes me laugh, the people who think it is so cool to try and have the largest "negative ego" when it comes to uniforms. If you have so little self-respect, by all means try and hide your profession. Maybe you aren't particularly good at it...
Personally, I am proud of what I have achieved, and see no problem with identifying myself accordingly... along with policemen, ambulance drivers, and others who occupy positions that they have had to earn. Not so sure about McDonalds uniforms though...
Maybe the antipathy towards uniforms is indicative of the whole trend towards budget this and low-cost that. If you want to be thought of as a glorified bus driver, by all means carry on; the public will think of you in exactly that way, and any authority and standing you might have had will be gone.
There was a time when a member of the public would never dream of challenging an airline captain on flight-related issues. Now it is commonplace, and this discussion is why.