The whole airplane seat thing is just an example of where when you give people a little discretion, they make the worst of it. The same thing with car horns.

I used to travel for a living, and spent at least 3 days a week with some sort of flight in it for a few years. People on planes are just rude, which is exacerbated by the tight conditions. I flew in the 80's and it was never like that (even though I was a kid). I believe that if you're flying coach on a discount fare, don't expect 1st class treatment. And at the same time, do what you can to not be a jerk to the people around you.

I think the flight attendant could have just asked the person not to recline. I don't see why that's a problem. The airline owns the space, not the passenger. And let's face it, customer comfort is not a concern of the airline when you're flying coach. If you want comfort, pony up some money.