Originally Posted by
Knee Defender
^
Well, we are in agreement as far as you go. But, note two things. First, where we diverge is that a seated person with long legs generally cannot move them as one would step aside from blocking the aisle. And, that brings me to my second point.
As to the person in the aisle that I mentioned, you wrote "they can be removed", not that you could move them.^ Exactly.
If you recline your seat into someone's knees then you are trying to move them. You may say that that person's knees should not be there. And, for sake of discussion, let's say that you are right about that. Nevertheless, as long as those knees are there you don't have a right to move them -- just as you don't have a right to move someone out of the aisle. That was my point. Hope that helps.
You are basically arguing squatter's rights here. According to this line of thinking if we're sitting in the same row, but I get there first and decide that I want your window seat instead of my assigned middle or aisle you're out of luck.
Or, as another possibility following this logic, if you were to prevent my seat from reclining, but you moved for any reason I could immediately recline fully and not worry about it. After all there wouldn't be anything in the space at that moment.
How about even more directly applying the example, no one has the right to physically restrain me from moving down the aisle. So you should not have the right to restrain me from reclining my seat. How is this any different than what you've postulated?