To Lean or Not To Lean

As I get ready to fly home for Christmas (insert enthusiasm here!), I am reminded of a certain theory I hold about those who fly. If you have traveled with me or even been near or spoken with me shortly before or after I fly, you have probably already heard it. 
I believe there are two kinds of people who fly...those who lean their seat back and those who don't. 

I am a proud member of the "those who don't" group. I just figure that flights are already cramped as it is, so why make it even more miserable for the person behind you. I'm a pretty short girl (a quarter of an inch shy of being 5'2), and I cannot imagine what it would be like to be tall and on an airplane.

One particular incident sticks out in my mind as to what made me become so anti leaning your seat back. About 6 years ago (I was 17), I was on a 7/8 hour flight coming back from Europe, and the lady in front of me, while I was eating my meal no less, leaned her seat back shortly into the flight almost causing my drink to spill all over my food and me. After I finished my meal I did my share of courteous traveling no-nos...aka pushing my knees into the back of her seat intermittently. Hey, I told you I was 17, can I pull the "I didn't know any better card"? So the lady's daughter fought her battle for her and turned around and asked me to stop pushing my knees into her mom's seat; I then asked her to ask her mom if she could not lean her seat back all the way. My excuses were that I was tall (which was a lie) and I had a jelly fish sting on my leg that made it cramp up (which was true btw). The lady's excuses were that her legs were getting stiff. Well anyway, to make a long story short, that was the longest 7/8 hour battle I have ever fought with a complete stranger. We both were stubborn and neither of us was willing to accommodate to the other. Oh and since I had lied and told them I was tall, I had to wait until they got off the plane before standing up. 

Back to my theory now that you have some background info. I guess I should throw a disclaimer out there and say that I'm not trying to insult you depending on which category you fall into. It is just some assumptions I have theorized about. 
I feel that people who lean their seats back are very self-centered. They only care about making themselves more comfortable even at the expense of making someone else more UNcomfortable. I also feel that they are rude. I like to put down my tray table, lay my head down on it, and take a little nap sometimes. I really don't appreciate it when I am minding my own business off in dream land, and I get woke up by someone's chair getting leaned back putting pressure on my head. When that person in front of you puts their seat back, you might as well say good-bye to any plans you had ]involving that tray table. Say good-bye to using your laptop, reading becomes difficult for me sometimes because the reclined seat blocks my lighting, napping like I already mentioned, and sometimes eating your pretzels and drinking your complimentary beverage (if your airline has not already taken that away)...it all becomes uncomfortable, difficult, and sometimes impossible once that seat goes back.

Now there are some exceptions. For instance, if you lean your seat back and no one is behind you...the assumptions don't apply to you. Or if you turn around and politely ask the person behind you if he or she would mind if you leaned your seat back...the assumptions don't apply to you either. In fact, if every person that has sat in front of me who reclined their seat turned around and politely asked...I would probably have a completely different attitude about this whole theory. 


Now for those of you like myself who don't recline their seat...we are ones who put others before ourselves. We make sure everyone else is taken care of before attending to our own needs. We are polite and considerate of others. Maybe that is just how we are, or maybe we know what it feels like to have that seat invade our personal space, and just choose not to put someone else through that.


So next time you are on an airplane, take a second or two and think before pushing that button to recline your seat. Or even thank the person sitting in front of you for not making your flight uncomfortable or miserable.