Being from the Land of Ice and Snow, and having gone thru my dues, I find no problem with the system. I lived and worked up in Yellowknife doing cargo, tickets, boarding then flight watch. To say I learnt something is an understatment. I was a young man with dreams of flying in my eyes. This "humiliating" work opened my eyes to appreciate what it takes for a plane to go from A to B.
Aviation is teamwork. Not just in the cockpit, but the entire company. When I see a guy outside in the driving rain and sleet struggling to do his job, I don't sit there and slag him off for being slow. I understand the difficulty of his job. I have flown with countless young FO's who want to blame the ground crews for being two minutes late. They have no idea. They have mostly never done a hard days work in their lives.
Working your way up from the ramp is IMHO part of your aviation apprentiship. Use the time to learn and you will become a better pilot. It shows. It really does.