Did anyone say you're a shitty aviator because you think it's lame for a 2Lt to salute a 1Lt? No, it's just basic customs and courtesies. What kind of topics do you think are discussed in PME (O and E flavor)? I personally think it's lame that I have to salute student pilots and I'm an FTU instructor. I make more in flight pay than they do, I have WAY more hours of flying and years of flying, have more Air Medals and Combat time than they'll ever see in their career, I've been in the AF much longer than they have, etc. But....it's basic customs and courtesies and I do it because it's required and that's just how the hierarchy of how the military is set up.
I think what's also lost with you is the majority of the AF doesn't fly, they are in Security Forces, Maintenance, Logistics, etc. When I was in a MXS years ago out of 500 people, we had 5 Officers. A 2Lt/Flight Commander was a big deal and in charge of a lot of people. So seeing a 2Lt walk by a 1Lt without saluting them, seen by plenty of Enlisted personnel, is a big deal. How can you yell at a SSgt for not saluting you if you in turn think it's lamesauce to salute a 1Lt? Practice what you preach.