The biggest problem facing Americans: Airline seat reclining

We American’s find the future of our nation just too, too boring.

So we have become immune to the impeachment hearings along with hourly news about bribery, violation of campaign laws, perjury, conspiracy, contempt of Congress, violation of the emoluments clause, obstruction of justice, abuse of power, bank fraud, tax fraud, misappropriation of funds, extortion, adultery, coercion for personal benefit, cheating workers, abusing children, and fundamentally being a rotten human being. (See this list.)

And we find the future of our children and indeed the entire human species to be just too, too boring.

So we pay no attention to warnings about what we are doing to the world, including climate change and toxins in the air, water and earth. We accept the Washington freak show featuring the removal of anti-pollution, anti-carbon, and anti-corruption rules.

But if there is one thing that gains our attention is our butts, and the comfort thereof, as evidenced by these takes from an article in the December 13, 2019 THE WEEK Magazine.

Air travel: Should you recline your seat?
The Week (US)13 Dec 2019

As millions of Americans take to the skies this holiday season, allow me to settle one of the longest-standing debates associated with air travel, said Christopher Elliott in USA Today.

You may have the ability to recline your seat on an airplane, but you shouldn’t. “It’s rude—and it’s wrong.” That’s because passengers are “officially out of space.”

Decades ago, many economy-class seats offered “a generous 36 inches of ‘pitch,’” which is a rough measure of the space between seats.

But over the years, “greedy airlines” have whittled us down to “as little as 28 inches” so that they can pack passengers into the cabin “like cargo.” This means that should you recline your seat, “you’ll end up in someone’s lap.” So please stop. It’s irritating, self-indulgent, and even immoral.

Nonsense, said Stacey Lastoe in CNN.com. Reclining your seat “is a right,” since airlines equip seats with a recline button. Besides, how else is one expected to sleep on an airplane? While sitting erect? No.

In the end, “I recline, you recline, we all recline for increased comfort.” Agreed, said Ben Lucky in OneMileAtATime .com, although reclining works best “when everyone is on the same page” and eager to sleep, as is usually the case on a red-eye.

Yes, but sometimes strong measures are demanded, said Josh Ocampo in LifeHacker.com. Let’s say, for instance, that the very tall person in front of you has committed the unforgivable sin of reclining during meal service, forcing your tray into your chest. Then no one could blame you if you turned up the air conditioner located directly above your seat to full blast and angled it directly upon the recliner’s forehead, forcing him or her “to endure the wrath of your freezing-cold airplane air.” If that doesn’t work, I might suggest a sudden bout of restless legs syndrome that compels you to kick the seat back—hard—every few minutes. That “might earn you an extra inch or two.”

Here’s what I think. Don’t punish the person in front of you for using his/her seat in exactly the way it was designed by the airlines, to be used.

Punish the airlines who care so little about your comfort they created a situation guaranteed to make passengers uncomfortable and angry.

The person ahead of you is uncomfortable, because realizing that reclining his seat might make you uncomfortable, he doesn’t recline.

Or if he does, he wonders what you’re thinking about him and are you going to be in a “seat-battle” with him. And anyway, the scant 2 inch recline isn’t enough to make anyone relax.

You are uncomfortable, because the person ahead of you has reclined, so you can’t even reach the barf bag if needed, and his dandruff is falling into your drink. And you yourself, either will or will not recline, and either way, you lose.

So don’t blame the passengers who are sharing with you a claustrophobic space created by the designers of Auschwitz or the children’s cages at our southern border.

Blame the rotten airline for putting you all in this position.

NO. Don’t blame the airline.

Blame yourself for going to Travelocity or Kayak, and booking on “El Cheapo Airlines and Stormdoor Company,” so you can save a few bucks while enduring several hours of inhumane conditions, relieved only by standing in line to use the one working, smelly toilet, while praying the “take-your-seat, NOW!” sign doesn’t go on.

It is you, yes YOU, Mr. Bargain Basement, who trained the airlines that you would rather save a few bucks than receive human comfort.

So the next time you are racing through the airport, with your pants falling down, because you forgot your belt and wallet at security, and you hear the announcement, “All passengers must rwjqelor dfqwoper 349 asas, IMMEDIATELY, or else,” and then you sit in the middle of two huge, fat guys with bad breath, one of whom says, “Would you mind holding my emotional support bee hive,” remember this:

There once were airlines that served real food, had real bathrooms, the seats were two abreast, not ten, only humans flew, and the there was plenty of room to lie back and enjoy.

But that was before cheaptickets.com.

And you have only yourself to blame.

Rodger Malcolm Mitchell
Monetary Sovereignty
Twitter: @rodgermitchell
Search #monetarysovereignty Facebook: Rodger Malcolm Mitchell