I don't recline my seat on the airplane.
I don't do it because I believe it is common courtesy, and in hopes that
somehow others will feel the same.
When I recline my chair, you behind me, have less space. My expansion
becomes your contraction. The only way for you to exert control over
your environment is to recline as well, which causes a domino effect.
You could ask me to sit up. Which I should be doing anyway. Especially
if there is food service going on.
But you probably won't. You'd probably sit there quietly grumbling and
finding passive aggressive ways to communicate your discomfort with me.
And so I choose to break the chain.
If you recline into me, I don't recline, because I refuse to pass on
what I perceive as your rudeness to others.
I absorb it.
Which is tough to do when I'm on a plane for 15 hours, I'm tired from 4
legged flight, reclining hurts my neck which hangs 6 inches over the top
of the chair anyway, and I can't see the movie screen I'm trying to
watch to keep my mind off the fact that my back hurts and my legs are numb.
I don't drink.
So... I really have no outlet for all of this frustration that your
reclining into me has created.
Except maybe to smile if the drink cart bangs your elbow like it has
mine. But alas, I can't get pleasure out of your pain.
So I ask you, please consider, NOT reclining.
I know not everyone holds this value. They should. Plane seats should
be un-reclinable. It is a comfort feature that only lends comfort to
the people up in the bulkhead seats.
When I travel in June, I'm going to attempt an experiment. I'm going to
bring some cookies and a note and hand it to all of the bulkhead people
and say 'I would really love it if you wouldn't recline at all during
this flight. I am willing to bet these cookies, that if you don't
recline, it'll drastically reduce the domino effect of reclining and
hopefully give everyone on this flight a slightly nicer trip. I would
like to thank you in advance for any discomfort you might feel, by
giving you these cookies."
and then jsut see... see if no one reclines. See if the plane becomes
utopia, people chatting with each other, smiling, enjoying 15 hours
locked up with total strangers who are breathing in your germs. Maybe a
rainbow will appear off the right wing, and maybe everyone will sing in
unison 'cumbaya'
and maybe, the lack of reclination will make us a better nation in general.
you never know... it could happen.
Maybe I should make a t-shirt and sell it online 'hello fellow
passenger, if I recline, it's because I hate you."
