You are shrewd to try to negotiate through a potentially tense situation, but you also have to know when it's time to bring out the big guns or you could get a reputation as a bit of a pushover. There is absolutely no reason to tolerate someone being arrogant or rude to you, so don't be shy about sticking up for yourself if you feel you're being treated poorly. Compromising yourself for the sake of someone else is a lose/lose situation.