Richie,
I love your humor, and you make a very good point! Designations meaning nothing to the public unless one can articulate what it means to them as a client! I really believe an agent must say, "There is a big difference between agents and Realtors, and I'm a Realtor, which means..." Also, "Since professional development is so important to me, I've been willing to go through a great deal of extra training including....which means....and benefits you by..." By doing that an agent will have much more positive effects.
I am sure that the knowledge gained helps you and your clients, though the letters after the name are generally meaningless.
Now I said my ABC's, tell me what you think of me is how the Alphabet song ends...Same with designations....Show me how they help and what good they do