Right. I meant, from the OP's perspective, he did more for the airline than he really did for himself. Sure, he got some money. But he really helped the airline save money and continue to justify a (in my opinion) dishonest practice.
Maybe we need to start a Airline Passenger's Union, so that we have some collective bargaining power when an airline wants to bump passengers, and instead of them convincing individuals to accept less than they deserve, we convince the airlines to pay more than mandated.