https://www.yahoo.com/travel/s/family-of-9-on-vacation-kicked-off-plane-says-150654020.html
I am sure there are good flight attendants and I have bumped into many but rather the captain, who is truly in charge, should use his best judgement and not just go with whatever the attendant wants. I think the decisions of just throwing people out of planes comes from not having the courage to apologize and confront someone after a bad situation. It is rather more comfortable for the flight attendant to have the person removed and not have to look at that person in the eye and with a smile for the duration of the flight.
I only have one personal experience (that affected me that is) but have seen many others from a few rows behind. In a flight to Houston on a very well known airline, a couple with two kids boarded the flight. Upon hearing the announcement that the cabin door was now closed, the couple pulled out a booster seat and put it in an empty seat next to them to seat their baby. Flight attendant comes over (rather an old man) and asked them if they had payed for that seat or was he a lap baby. The father responded that it was a lap baby but that he understood that airline policy allowed for using empty seats for lap babies. (I can confirm this is true as I have done this many times). The flight attendant asked the father to remove the booster seat and put the baby in his laps. Father said that since the seat was empty and the door closed, the he could assume no other paying passenger would ask for that seat. Flight attendant proceed to raise his voice and say that he would no longer argue and that he would throw them out of the plane if they did not comply. He ended up putting the baby in his laps and holding him the whole way. Seat was empty as it is obviously concluded. This flight attendant rather allowed a potential liability (in case of heavy turbulence for example) than letting the baby fly securely fasten to the seat.