At the risk of starting a flame war....
Capt. Z...could it possibly be that you do not wish to climb off your pedestal in the sheltered workshop that is Oz aviation?
Over this side of the Indian Ocean, pilots are treated just as another professional, not the be all and end all of humanity.
If you want that kudos, you had better get heavily involved in the oil or engineering sector, they get paid WAY more than mere aviation types.
As MTOW said...