Not really the point. I flat out said that Stark wasn't on Wayne's level, just that he isn't "fuck all" without his suit. He's still an excellent hand-to-hand combatant, and on many occasions (thanks to being given superpowers) can actually go toe-to-toe with people who have vastly more skill.
It's still his motivation. He still broods on it. It still haunts him. It's more than an event that's taught him a lesson. It's not like Spider-man with Uncle Ben's death. Bruce Wayne is forever a broken ten year old boy in an alley mourning over his dead parents. It's his obsession. It's why so many stories involding Hugo Strange or the Scarecrow reference back to it, because it's not something that he's ever been able to deal with, and it's what motivates him and makes him who he is. It's his defining moment.
Whether he wants the glory or not, or plays it up... he's been in the spotlight, and he's part of the establishment. The suggestion was that Wayne is out-and-out vilified for his work, but that's not the case. He's been lauded by the police, and spent more time working directly with them than anything else. He's also a founding member of the most respected superhero team on his planet. That's not exactly what you see from someone who is vilified. The Punisher is vilified, Batman is angsty and people think he's a douche sometimes, mainly because he's a douche sometimes.
EDIT
True, but it's the wrong impression.
I mean, from the popular frame of reference there's also the bat-credit card, Adam West, and the Super Friends... so Batman, even in the public eye, isn't entirely dark.
/EDIT