# That armrest is mine, asshole. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 5, 2012, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-armrest-is-mine-asshole/643107 "2012-12-05T19:00:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-armrest-is-mine-asshole/643107/81 "2012-12-06T14:16:44Z")
I’d drive everywhere I go, to be honest, but that means for distant places a lot of your vacation time is taken up by the trip. Not so bad unless you only have a limited number of days! I’d like to enjoy my time at the destination. And forget overseas in this case. ☹ No, I am mostly pretty happy with flying, but people need to learn those seats are what - 17"? And most people, even slim people, don’t necessarily have 17" asses. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-armrest-is-mine-asshole/643107/82 "2012-12-06T14:38:36Z")
I was just on a United flight to & from Florida (originating in NJ) that had the touchscreen monitors on every seatback that played videos, TV shows, movies, games, etc. They were nice. I generally don’t worry about the seat in front of me reclining because I’m either (i) sleeping, in which case I don’t notice or care, or (ii) reading, which means I’m looking down and the 8 degree reclined seat doesn’t even come into my field of view. But if I’m watching something on the seatback monitor and the seat reclines, it throws off my viewing angle, so I’ll recline. I don’t just do it in retaliation for the guy in front of me doing it. That seems juvenile. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-armrest-is-mine-asshole/643107/83 "2012-12-06T14:54:54Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > I’d drive everywhere I go, to be honest, but that means for distant places a lot of your vacation time is taken up by the trip. Not so bad unless you only have a limited number of days! I’d like to enjoy my time at the destination. And forget overseas in this case. :(\ Driving vacations require an adjustment in expectations - for us, the drive _is_ the vacation. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-armrest-is-mine-asshole/643107/84 "2012-12-06T14:57:25Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > Driving vacations require an adjustment in expectations - for us, the drive _is_ the vacation. I understand that. I really do. But what happens when you don’t just want the drive to be the vacation? Next year I really want to go to Atlanta. I want to go see the aquarium, spend a couple of days in the town, and go to Dragon Con. To do this and have enough time off I necessarily have to fly. I can’t waste time driving, I need to get there to be able to do stuff. And in a few years I want to go to London…I’ll let you know how the driving there part goes. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-armrest-is-mine-asshole/643107/85 "2012-12-06T15:29:47Z")
Yeah, I like driving vacations too, but sometimes it’s just not realistic. Visiting family in Seattle, for example: Even driving at breakneck speed with no stops, it would take a couple of days to get out there. Include sightseeing stops and whatnot, and suddenly the entire trip is eaten up with driving, unless you’re lucky enough to be able to get a month off from work at a time, which we are not. As for seat recliners, I don’t feel rage at people who do it or whatever. I just personally choose not to, because I know that when the person in front of me does it, it makes my flight a lot less comfortable. And when I recline my seat, it doesn’t really add to my comfort that much. So I’m not going to do something that adds minimally to my own comfort while significantly reducing someone else’s comfort. Flying sucks enough already. ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-armrest-is-mine-asshole/643107/86 "2012-12-06T15:30:12Z")
This entire thread, and no one mentions the dudes whose balls are so massive that they need to spread their legs at a 120-degree angle? Maybe those guys only take public transport, I dunno. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-armrest-is-mine-asshole/643107/87 "2012-12-06T15:40:18Z")
> [@Ruken](#): > > And every since I heard people whining about bashed knees, I’ve started ogling people’s legs every time I walk to the restroom on a plane. I travel frequently for work on all sizes of planes. Not a single knee squished against the seats. There may be a dozen or so people on the planet who have this problem and apparently they all post on this message board. Or maybe it’s just whiny bullshit. That’s a really ignorant thing to say. No, just because you can’t feel my pain doesn’t mean that I can’t. Ignorant and insensitive. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-armrest-is-mine-asshole/643107/88 "2012-12-06T15:45:46Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > That’s a really ignorant thing to say. No, just because you can’t feel my pain doesn’t mean that I can’t. > > Ignorant and insensitive. Come on, now. He _looked at people_. Dozens of people, maybe! _He looked at dozens of people!!!_ That is definitive. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-armrest-is-mine-asshole/643107/89 "2012-12-06T15:46:15Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > As for seat recliners, I don’t feel rage at people who do it or whatever. I just personally choose not to, because I know that when the person in front of me does it, it makes my flight a lot less comfortable. And when I recline my seat, it doesn’t really add to my comfort that much. So I’m not going to do something that adds minimally to my own comfort while significantly reducing someone else’s comfort. Flying sucks enough already. Pretty much this. I won’t even give a hairy eyeball to people who recline their seatbacks. I just don’t do it myself. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-armrest-is-mine-asshole/643107/90 "2012-12-06T15:50:09Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > Come on, now. He _looked at people_. Dozens of people, maybe! _He looked at dozens of people!!!_ OK, I retract it. I can’t argue with solid evidence like that. And it’s probably backed up by _He Just Knows_. ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-armrest-is-mine-asshole/643107/91 "2012-12-06T15:52:10Z")
This thread makes me believe that on the Air France flight that went down in the ocean between Brazil and Europe a few years ago, there must have been a few people, upon realizing that the shit was hitting the fan, thought “Thank God! Now I won’t have to endure the last half of this flight!” ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-armrest-is-mine-asshole/643107/92 "2012-12-06T15:52:24Z")
I mean, I am not particularly tall and my legs are not exactly comfortable in those seats. My legs probably just brush the opposite seat. I can totally see how other people’s knees would press, and what you do is, you sit up straighter so your knees aren’t squished. But you can never relax. Just because you don’t see it doesnt mean it doesn’t happen. or, the sarcasm from the others, which puts it much more concisely. ---
**Author:** ![Sister\_Vigilante](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Sister\_Vigilante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sister_Vigilante)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-armrest-is-mine-asshole/643107/93 "2012-12-06T17:26:35Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Ah, the tragedy of the commons. > > I find that if you’re patient enough, the other guy will move if only for a moment. Then you swoop in and hold your ground!! Works for me every time. Which is what I said 4 posts above yours. And I have no cite except that it works for me. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-armrest-is-mine-asshole/643107/94 "2012-12-06T17:39:06Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > I’m with you bro. The inconvenience to the person behind me is not worth me reclining by 8 degrees. It really sucks when the person in front reclines. Although they’re perfectly in their right to do so, they’re still selfish. Riddle me this, Batman: If airplane seats recline by such a small degree, how are they crushing the holy snotballs out of the person behind them? ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-armrest-is-mine-asshole/643107/95 "2012-12-06T17:41:19Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > Riddle me this, Batman: If airplane seats recline by such a small degree, how are they crushing the holy snotballs out of the person behind them? Because the amount of space you get on an airplane is really small to start with. Uh… Robin. Or The Penguin. I’m not sure who you are in the superhero metaphor here. Edit: Oh my god, I’m an idiot. You’re the Riddler! Durp. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-armrest-is-mine-asshole/643107/96 "2012-12-06T17:48:38Z")
I don’t mind being Penguin, though. He’s pretty creepy, but gliding around with an umbrella seems fun. Anyway, I just don’t see reclining as this horrible thing to do on a plane. No, I’m not tall, so I’m an insensitive monster, but I was married to a tall dude, so hopefully I get some understanding points for that. Yes, he hated airplane seats more than I did, no, he didn’t cry if someone tilted their seat back a half degree in front of him. But whatever, if you people feel like reclining is something worth being bothered I’ll let them, as we all have our airplane gripes. I will fucking kill your ass if your put your rollerbag in the overhead sideways. First I’ll turn it around myself, and then you die. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-armrest-is-mine-asshole/643107/97 "2012-12-06T17:58:25Z")
> [@Chef\_Troy](#): > > Turn to one of your row-mates and say, “Hey, I was thinking we should raise this armrest between us out of the way so it’ll be easier to snuggle.” Been there, had that suggested to me by another girl. On a 9-hour flight with three blankets on top of us. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-armrest-is-mine-asshole/643107/98 "2012-12-06T18:03:20Z")
I wonder how often people go postal on airplanes due to being treated like cattle? ---
**Author:** ![Foxy40](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a9a28c/32.png) [@Foxy40](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foxy40)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-armrest-is-mine-asshole/643107/99 "2012-12-06T18:04:31Z")
> [@Dr\_Doom](#): > > Now you’re just being ridiculous. Not ridiculous, polite. When you lean back, you give the person behind you even less space. For the couple of inches it gives you, I’d rather not inconvenience the person behind me and I would prefer the person in front of me do the same. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-armrest-is-mine-asshole/643107/100 "2012-12-06T18:16:46Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > Riddle me this, Batman: If airplane seats recline by such a small degree, how are they crushing the holy snotballs out of the person behind them? Elementary, Robin. When I sit down, my knees are already touching the seat in front of me. That leaves a tolerance of approximately 0" for available leaning back. Even though that part of the seat only goes back about an inch, that’s an inch that I’d rather not have pushed into me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-armrest-is-mine-asshole/643107.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-armrest-is-mine-asshole/643107.md?page=6)