Whenever I'm on a flight I take a quick look behind me. If the person behind me is reclining then I have no problem doing the same, if not then I would feel bad reclining but that doesn't always stop me O:-)
Fair enough. I recline when I need to, and I do frequently look to see if the person behind me is. Unlike some bloggers and the author of that article, I recognize that it is an imposition on the person behind me.
Life isn't only about rights. You also have the right to come onto a plane smelling like a sewer, and then asking the guy next to you if he'd pay five bucks for you to put on deodorant (10 bucks for good smelling deodorant). And the writer's precious Coase theorem would apply just as much.