History is rife with examples of people standing up to the established order that was unjust, and have changed the course of the world because of their stand. Sure they were PITA to the establishment, but clearly their A's needed some P for terms to change.
We are already seeing changes in the airline industry which has long hid behind legalese, thanks to Dao's unfortunate experience. How was a contract, that allowed one party to break the contract with decidedly different terms than the other, even enforceable is mind boggling.
I don't think, however, that the fallout of the Dao incident was the intent of the OP in starting this thread. I have thus far, in several hundred thousand miles, never needed to be forceful in getting something that I was rightfully owed. In fact, I may have several examples of "honey" getting me a little extra something, than having to ever bring out the "vinegar". Even lately.
Experience has taught me to keep my expectations realistic when faced with IRROPS, and that has helped my own peace of mind.
Then there is that other extreme about "tipping" airline employees for better service, discussed in
another thread. I would never do that either.