Interestingly, no one in this thread actually mentioned that she should have turned around and asked them to stop, although it has been a theme in a lot of articles. One of the big problems with these articles is bias. Some are biased towards women and don't consider the possibility that one might be in the wrong and some are biased towards men and also don't consider the possibility that one might be wrong. A lot display reporting bias, playing up any and every situation that benefits their argument while downplaying everything that detracts from it. #IAskedPolitely clearly states their own reporting bias in their mission statement. "This isn't for talking about when it works. This is for talking about when it doesn't work."

Now, that said, it's up to a person if they want to ask someone to stop behavior they find offensive. A lot of people don't want to cause a confrontation, so they won't talk to the person themselves. In a workplace environment, they talk to HR or their boss. If someone is being rude and obnoxious in, say, a restaurant or theater, you talk to the management or someone else with the authority to have them removed. You don't take the quarrel to the internet or newspaper or local news station unless things have gone terribly wrong. Tweeting, "Hey, look at this asshole being rude to me," was like her calling in her friends and fans to cause a counter scene. That's not cool, and that's not right. If it happened in a theater, both groups would rightfully be kicked out. Even though one side started it, the other escalated it instead of taking care of it like a calm, rational person.