This story is the perfect microcosm of Americaness: two petty, entitled people reacting disproportionately to their inconveniencing of each other.
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Because large men can be expected to react with physical violence?
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But then you lost me. Actually virtually every comment lost me. It’s not the passengers, is it? While they are both presenting poorly socialized manners, they’re also in an almost untenable situation.
The AIRLINE decided to shrink the seats.
The AIRLINES worked to capture regulators to allow for more seats to be put on the plane and to shrink seat pitch.
So yeah, it’s the Airline’s fault. And the FAA’s fault. And our fault for letting that happen. Let’s fix it.
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I read an article somewhere about how amazing it is that we can be on a plane at all - imagine crowding a few hundred of any other kind of ape in a metal tube for several hours.
Because large men can be expected to react with to physical violence.
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Without venturing into the recline-or-don’t-recline quagmire, I propose a different lens for this situation:
Would this man have acted the same if it weren’t a woman in front of him?
And I don’t mean the recliner is a massive gorilla who could break back-seater’s neck. Any man, any woman.
With confidence, I say “No.” This man felt empowered to physically harass another person because she’s a woman.
That, for me, is the crux here. They’re both being childish, but he acted out PHYSICALLY.
Not acceptable.
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Not exactly true. I was using a laptop on a tray table and when the person in front of me reclined the way the tray table moved ended up pinning the top of the laptop lid under the tray table lip of the seat underneath me. It literally crushed my screen. But, yeah, I concede your point that in general the tray table isn’t likely to be a big factor.
It’s not that, it’s the overreaction of “reporting seat-puncher to the FBI”. I’ve been on plenty of miserable flights due in large part to the person next to or behind me. Never once did I think to report them to any three letter government agency.
How do you propose we “fix it”? Airlines will continue to make flying more and more awful because they know they can and Trump’s FAA certainly won’t do anything pro-consumer.
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He was in a non-reclinable bulkhead seat which reminds me of how much I hate those (same for seats in front of emergency exits). Airlines should give you perks for sitting in those seats, ie free movie, or free wifi.
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As a person over six feet tall, if the person in front of me reclines their seat I end up wedged in behind them because the seat is now in direct contact to my kneecaps. I have to twist in my seat to avoid it and if I didn’t manage to land an aisle seat I am totally screwed. Plus, every time someone needs to walk by I need to force my legs back behind your seat which I can’t do without nudging you, but to be honest I won’t feel a single drop of remorse for jostling you awake from your nap.
So sure, I don’t get to tell you how to fly, but when you recline your seat you are 100% controlling how I fly.
The real bad guy here is of course the airlines for designing a seating layout where discomfort can not be alleviated, but only transferred to the person sitting behind you.
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If anything you typically pay more for exit row seats because they have the most legroom in economy (although you sacrifice seat width and depending on which exit row you get, they may not recline). I’ll take being able to actually stretch my legs, though.
(ETA: I noticed you said the seats in front of the exits – my mistake. Those are definitely among the worst – right up there with seats next to the bathroom or galley.)
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I guarantee he would not have punched the seat of a man that was his size or larger.
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Yeah, while part of me feels for the guy - it sucks to be in that situation - that was entirely the wrong response. I mean, whoo boy, was it ever.
If she can’t recline her seat, then neither can the person in front of her and so on all down the line. Unfortunately, if one is in the back row, one just has to expect less room. Some seats in an airplane just suck more than usual. (Sometimes even the ones that seem better. I had an exit row seat during a trans-Atlantic flight once, and thought, “Great, I can stretch my legs a bit!” Except there was just enough room that a bunch of people decided to stand there during the entire flight and have a conversation. I couldn’t even move my leg to the same extent as if it were a normal seat…)
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Fuck that shit with a rusty spike. I’ve had that shit happen before and it’s absolutely infuriating.
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To make matters worse I was sleep deprived when I got on the flight, and couldn’t sleep during it. I was probably slightly psychotic when I got to my destination…
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People who watch cartoons are assholes now?
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Nothing to do with that nonsense.
As seat pitch has reduced over the years, the available space for reclining seats disappears.
Today’s economy seat pitch ranges from 28" (71cm) to 34" (86cm), and that is measured from seat attachment points on the floor. The seat backs often intrude even further into that space.
As a 6’, 300# male, when the seat in front of me reclines, I usually only have about 8 inches (20cm) between my chest and the seat back. One can not do anything with that amount of space. Cannot put the tray down, cannot read a book comfortably, nothing but stare at the top of the persons head in front of you.
So yeah, if the airlines are going to squeeze the seats in, get rid of the recline function.
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Fuck that aggressive asshole. Her seat reclines, yours doesn’t. Either pay more for a better seat or suck it up like every other discomforted passenger on the plane who are being inconvenienced by other issues such as narrow seats, no leg room, etc). The guy is an utter prick.
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Exactly. MY seat reclines and I use it to avoid not having my back in such a state that I need to crawl off the plane. However, if someone behind me asks, I’m more that willing to find some middle ground–a wad of coats or other clothing can often do the trick or, on really long flights, a few hours here-and-there.
Punch the back of my seat and I’ll call the flight attendant every 30 seconds: “That vibration is back. Is something wrong!?” I dare a flight attendant to say, “Everything is fine, it’s just the guy punching the back of your seat.”
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Personally, I am letting my congress woman know that airlines need to have sufficient space for passenger safety & comfort. Also, I only do business with ones that I can fit my 6’5” onto.
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I’m gonna assume it will only be a short time before he is doxxed and shamed.
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