> But I’ve seen a distressing amount of sympathy for Mr. Knee Defender, who wasn’t just instigating a fight but usurping his fellow passenger’s property rights.

> But I’ve seen a distressing amount of sympathy for Mr. Knee Defender, who wasn’t just instigating a fight but usurping his fellow passenger’s property rights. hahahahahahahaha > I understand people don’t like negotiating with strangers, but in hundreds of flights I have taken, I have rarely had anyone complain to me about my seat recline There is a very simple explanation for this: you're a white man who is probably fit, wears expensive clothing, and looks well-educated. On the intimidation scale, you're near the top. You should not be surprised that more people do not risk physical, mental, or emotional discomfort by making this request. > If sitting behind my reclined seat was such misery, if recliners like me are “monsters,” as Mark Hemingway of The Weekly Standard puts it, why is nobody willing to pay me to stop? Because that is considered anti-social behavior. Similarly, I don't offer to pay someone who is standing on the walking side of an escalator or a group of people who are taking up the whole sidewalk or the person at the neighboring table whose laugh is too loud. For better or for worse, that would not be acceptable.