I think this is the crux of it all. It's not that Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants are too timid to enforce the policy. Generally speaking, most of us try to put ourselves in the shoes of others and respond accordingly. If the carts are in the aisles in Y I would never require that someone wait to be able to get to the back. If the carts aren't in the aisle I try to enforce the policy as best possible but realize there are situations where you just have to let someone go forward.