Originally Posted by Lehava
But he paid to use the tray to put the laptop on. I think my gripe with this topic (and many others on FT) is that many seem to send all good manners out the window with this "its my right", "I paid to use the seat" mentality. Since the airlines have decided that seats are a shared commodity (the seat belongs to the person sitting in it, but the space under it and the tray on the back of it belong to the person behind it) a little common courtesy (at least of the level we hope kids learn in Kindergarten) is needed on BOTH sides!!!!
In an ideal world everyone has good manners, plays together nicely, and watches puppies romp around in butterfly-filled fields. But in the real world there is friction. That's why society has rules, to break ties.
The airline rule says I can recline my seat, so it's my right. If the FA tells me to unrecline, I'll abide. If you politely ask, I may unrecline, but it's my decision. If you demand it, I'm less likely to comply. After all, nobody likes being told what to do.
Suppose I chose to turn on my overhead light. Can the person sitting next to me demand that I shut it off?
When the airline changes the rule, I'll change my behavior. In the meantime I'll try to be considerate, but the guy behind me should as well.
Of course, everything has its limit. I moved back 10 rows not because I was embarrassed or because I thought the jerk was right, but because his actions were just crazy enough that I wondered whether any further escalation might cause him to inflict bodily harm. At the time I would have liked nothing more than to punch him, but who knows how things develop. I reasoned it wasn't worth potentially endangering my livelihood if this guy really was psycho.