links for 2006-10-21

Thinking the Knee Defender is awesome is indicative of the problems in our society. Why is your right to prevent the person in front of you from leaning back greater than their right to lean back? Where is the Back Protector - the device that prevents people behind you from stopping you from leaning back? The brutality of this piece of plastic to block not only movement but also human interaction and negotiation where there are conflicting needs is frankly tragic. I think it includes a note you should pass to the other passenger explaining what you've done to them?

Somewhere in my archives is a brief discussion about this with the inventor of the knee defender, who responded to my comments in http://www.portigal.com/freshmeat/?p=16

Why is your right to prevent the person in front of you from leaning back greater than their right to lean back?

Well it's not a simple matter of rights. When the person in front of me reclines, they exercise their rights to my great discomfort.

As I said, I don't fit easily into airplane seats. When someone reclines it means my knees are wedged into their seatback. If I'm lucky I'll be able to move my carry on bag and extend my legs under the seat in front. But often this isn't possible.

Why should someone gain a modest comfort at my expense?

You make a good point about negotiation. But, frankly, I think the onus should be on the recliner to ask "do you mind if I tilt my seat back?" After all, they're the ones looking for a privilege.

I guess that sorta proves my point. You think your need supersedes the need of the person in front of you. But what are they thinking as they cram into their seat and wait for some slight relief in reclining. There's any number of scenarios possible here, but it's easy in this situation to color the other player as a thoughtless cad who is only interested in themselves.

What I'm objecting to is your assertion that there are equivalent rights/needs involved.

And if I understand your original comment--that people should just negotiate these things rather than resort to Knee Defenders--then I think that hinges on the view that reclining is a privilege.

But if reclining is a right, why should anyone have to consult--or even think about--the person behind them?

But what are they thinking as they cram into their seat and wait for some slight relief in reclining.

Maybe they're thinking "if I recline the person behind me--who is in the exact same situation as me--will have even less space than they do now."