[heavytea21475]

"The ability to recline an airplane seat implies a right to recline an airplane seat" is a very unconvincing argument. If everything unethical must be physically prevented, then what even is ethics? "If I can do it, I may do it" is a rejection of ethics.

Objectively, reclining your seat reduces the available space for the person behind you, who is already cramped for space. Even if everyone could recline (which they can't because of exit rows and back rows), the person behind you would have more space if you didn't.

So you can basically take this two ways. You can be utilitarian and try to minimize total pain ("Airplane etiquette is you only recline when necessary, and if you must recline, just put the seat back a little bit to get the comfort you need without encroaching too much on the person behind you."), or you can be Hippocratic and commit to doing no harm ("If someone is sitting behind you then don't recline your seat").

Either position is defensible, but I can't see any defense of the position that you naturally have a right to reduce your suffering at the expense of increasing someone else's.