Two things: The do unto others things works. It may not work in the midbie-lowbie ranges (where most assbags are stuck) but if you have a rep in the hero range for being an assbag, you'll be treated like an assbag and vice versa. Exceptional situations exist where you may not get the return on your not-being-an-assbag investment, but more times than not, it will pay off.

Secondly, (I wish I thought of things like this) the roleplay opportunity there is awesome. Any one of the things Kasty suggested are neat little things that give your character that little extra depth that seperates it from the rabble... Plus, if you've been warned by a higher level character (especially one that can do something about it) and you don't change your behavior... you shouldn't be suprised when you get smacked down for it. You should be thankful that they can't pk you into oblivion, and begin plotting sweet sweet revenge.