I don't think its about "your rights" at all. This is not some constitutional issue. People here have said that I paid for it and therefore I am going to take it ALL. For those people, your beef is not with other passengers (they're just as bad off as you are) but rather with the airline(s) that created the situation.

Wouldn't a better policy/philosophy be: Be Polite. That means recline or don't but if someone asks something reasonable (i.e. put chair up during meal service) try to accomodate the request. That doesn't mean bend over backwards such as keeping your seat up 100% of the time during a night flight.

I should also mention that sometimes you can use your seat as a tatic. For example, I usually keep my seat upright. However, I remember one time where some kept hooking and unhooking the tray table and just generally was pushing on my seat. Well, I reached the limit of my tollerance so I just suddenly and quickly reclined me seat. The person was none too pleased but getting the (empty) tray table into his lap sure gave him the message.

My other norm is that until "bed time" or as soon as the guy in front of me reclines (like a domino effect), I won't recline (above example exlcuded).

One of my pet peeves is the people who use my seat as a handle. Try holding on to the overhead bin if you need some physical contact. Leave me alone!