Sorry...but I think that is rude. When you recline, you are taking 4-5 inches of space from the passenger behind you. I had a "recliner" in front of me on Sunday...I had an indention from the bar in the magazine holder in my knees.
A few weeks ago...couldn't use my laptop because of a "recliner".
Still, I would not recline my seat and take that room from the person behind. With the lack of leg room...to me it is just rude to recline.
Sometimes you need to think about others.
It's an airline seat with specific expectations. Where are the considerations of these others for the "recliners"? It's a 2-way street.
The inability to use a laptop when someone reclines is the most aggrivating.
Since most airline entertainment is generally pointless or PC pablum I never want to see anyways, it is bets to rely on the laptop.
An hour or two (or 8) of typing time is useful no matter how you slice it.
Someone posted a link to a recliner brake that attaches to your tray brace. It seems like a good idea until the old hag stewardes who still thinks she looks as pretty as she did in the 1960's demands you take it off for safety reasons.
It is too bad planes can be reconfigured "on the fly". Thus if a flight is mostly empty, the empty seats would fold up and the rest would spread out.