<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Tango:
I disagree. I have been on some airlines where I had to turn my knees sideways in order to fit into the seat---it was that tight. When the person reclines into your face, not only does it become painful but you are unable to do anything. In cases like this the person in front of you should not be allowed to recline. </font>
Note to self: NEVER sit in front of
Tango. 
I hear ya! I'm tall and having endured painful 30-31 inch pitch for long flights, I'm darned glad that AA has added a couple inches. UA has added even more in E+.
What I always noticed is that the meager 18 degrees of recline didn't make it appreciably worse. If you're jammed into your coach seat when upright, you're already in H*ll.
Now that I have status (and almost always can be found in a roomy exit row if not upfront), I tend to feel bad about reclining the exit row seat into the legs of the non-exit row people behind me. Two weeks ago on a 15 hour JFK-NRT in an exit row aisle, I asked the aisle occupant behind me if he minded me reclining. He said that he would take the window seat so he'd have lots of room and I could recline. A civilized method.
I still feel that anti-social self-help like that witch Brijett displayed should earn her a grounding. She doesn't like pax reclining in front of her? Then she can move to a seat behind a non-recliner for all I care.