The Knee Defenders.

There has been a lot in the news this week about the Knee Defender.
For the wildly uninformed, the Knee Defender is a device that you bring on to airliners, and attach to your food tray, to prevent the person in front of you to recline his or her seat directly into your knees.
Before this week, you could have counted me as one of the wildly uninformed.
Once I became informed, I became wild, and rushed to the Knee Defender Website, and Googled all that I could about the Knee Defender.
After all, I am six feet, six inches tall, and have been victimized by the reclinings of others many times.
Often using my own more primitive version of the Knee Defender, arrogantly pushing the reclined seat back into it's upright position, and getting into arguments as a result.
Thus, I consider the Knee Defender a Godsend.
What is dismaying is that many in the media and in the airline industry think that the Knee Defender is a terrible thing, depriving recliners of their God-given right to recline.
They cite the reason that their are recliner buttons built into the seats.
So they must be there for a reason.
A reason sanctioned by many airlines that ban the use of Knee Defenders.
Even though they are not illegal.
Hell, there are oxygen masks built into the overheads.
That doesn't mean that they have to be used, except on rare occasions.
And there are occasions where it is fine to use the recline button.
Like when the person behind you is in an exit row, and has plenty of room.
Or when there is no one seated behind you.
I will never recline my seat when I am in regular coach, and there is an adult seated behind me.
At least without asking if it's all right with them.
It's only common courtesy.
Some airlines, like Spirit, have eliminated the option of reclining altogether.
And their seats have recliner buttons like everybody else's.
So the issue has been far from unanimously settled.
I usually try to avoid the problem by trying to get bumped up to first class, or paying a little extra for an exit row, or another row where extra legroom is provided.
But sometimes those options are not available.
Then, it boils down to a question of morality.
To the airlines, it boils down to a matter of money and cost-effectiveness.
But let's put that aside, at least for now.
The morality question is "Does a person have the right of slightly more comfort at the expense of someone else's suffering and possible injury?
Especially if that someone else is six feet, six inches tall?
To me it's a no-brainer.
I heard someone say on TV yesterday that there's no way anyone can tolerate not reclining on a five-hour redeye flight.
But if this six feet, six incher was on the same redeye flight, getting his knees crushed all the way, there's no way he can tolerate that recliner.
United Airlines is my main carrier, and they ban the Knee Defender.
So I'm waiting to see how things shake down, to see if there are any lawsuits, before I plunk down my 22 simoleans for my own personal Knee Defender.
A product I would otherwise crave.


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My books ,"Show Runner" and it's sequel, "Show Runner Two", can be found at the Amazon Kindle Store.
Along with the newer ones, "The Man Is Dead", and "Report Cards".
You can search by typing in my name, Cindy Williams, Laverne and Shirley, The Odd Couple, or Happy Days.
Check them out.
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Just get the free app from Kindle, and they can be downloaded to an IPhone, IPad, or Blackberry.
The paperbacks, "Mark Rothman's Essays" and my new novel, "I'm Not Garbo" are not e-books.
But they are available for people without Kindle.
I have many readings and signings lined up for those, and the thing about Kindle is you can't sign one.
If you'd like one of the paperbacks, personally autographed, contact me at macchus999@aol.com.
And now, we've got my reading of my "Laverne and Shirley Movie" screenplay on YouTube, and my 4-hour interview at the Television Academy's Emmy TV Legends Website.
Here's the link:
http://www.emmytvlegends.org/interviews/people/mark-rothman"

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