I dont think jiffajaffa can be to blame for that attitude. Unfortunatley all the people criticising him are pilots who entered the industry years ago, long before the days of having to pay for typeratings and even your own line training. BLAME the SYSTEM or even the AIRLINES and recruiters for this situation with new wannabes.
Most wannabes have to get into ~£100K of debt to get a job nowadays. And for most people finishing with their fATPLS cant even get any jobs now, so quite rightly he/she feels happy JUST TO HAVE A JOB!
So to all those fat cat pilots having a dig at jiffajaffa, its partly your fault we are in this mess by allowing T&Cs to be slowly degraded, not doing your bit with the unions and the cost of airline pilot training to be as high as it is.
It Pi$$es me off seeing some airline leaders who had their pilot training all paid for free and job handed on a plate, sitting back now and watching all the wannabes getting in massive debt for jobs which dont exist.... rant over.
This is the common argument regarding self-funding of course and I agree. Now I'd bet my medical that 10 years from now our dear jiffajaffa will be enjoying pressure to receive worse terms for his duties as new pilots are standing in line to join the company, willing to accept contracts that to him seem completely mental. So the hamsterwheel turns. Those who benefit from this erosion are companies hiring and the traveling public. Just remember boys and girls that by paying our way in we have no right to gripe when others do the same behind us and we end up being beaten with the stick that landed us employment in the first place. Of course the bridge is burnt already as you say, jobs are harder and harder to find unless you have a rating so we can point the finger until it turns blue but the chicken and egg question will remain I'd say.
Whatever you choose just realize that just as you are prepared to sell yourself for a job, so will there be thousands behind you willing to do the same as you sit snug and happy on the flightdeck, and that will lead to worse pay for you too eventually only this time you didn't ask for it.