Lifeafter, that's a fair point. I see a mixture amongst my colleagues, with some old boys not far from retirement who are very averse to the FMC and its related modes and a fairly open interpretation of SOPs, and new guys far too reliant on automatics, FMC and SOP. I consider myself somewhere in the middle, perhaps a little closer to the old school than the new, but the two philosophies are generally very distinct within the age groups and it is an effort to get the youngsters to think for themselves. Once up to speed, they are quite capable, but it does take a while of exposure on the line. Arguably, the old boys can be brought up to speed more quickly and cheaply as their issue is just one of habit - they have to understand the electronics in order to be rated and routinely checked, after all.
Personally, I find it hard to believe things will improve, at least by any considerable margin. There are just too many willing dreamers and the perception is that we have a cushy job. Ask not just passengers and public but any non-pilot in the industry and they all think we earn a fortune, have a simple job, lots of time off and spend the day posing and fending off young girls. Even the crewing and ops guys don't comprehend the crappy hours, the difficulty of an approach in bad conditions with a broken jet, the job insecurity (not just companies folding, but medical issues, fuel prices and so on), the studying and potential consequences of the six-monthly checks, the spy in the cab and so on. Even wannabes don't get it, or they wouldn't sign up to the FTOs. Until we can get others to understand all of what our job entails, not just the '60s glam image, then we won't see anything move in the right direction.