The Airport Recliner

You know those massage chairs at airports? The big, comfy leather recliners that cost a few coins for a session? Nobody pays. Everyone just sits in them because they're more comfortable than the regular seats. You know it, I know it, we've all done it.

So there I was, sitting in one, not paying, enjoying life. Then someone walks up and gestures that they'd like to use the chair. Fair enough. It's a massage chair, not a bench. I'm the freeloader here. I got up immediately.

And then they sat down.

And didn't pay either.

I stood there for a moment, processing what had just happened. This person didn't want a massage. They wanted my seat. They used social pressure and the implied moral high ground of "intended use" to claim a chair they had no more right to than I did.

I think about this more than I should.