As a tall passenger, I can weigh in on both sides of the argument here. Seats that recline are designed for just that - reclining. I do like to recline my seat when I am trying to catch a nap (except on short haul where there's practically no time for one), but I do detest having someone simply reclining their seat without checking.
Thankfully I've been spoilt on my flights lately - I check in early to get the first seat row, which means I get the legroom of business without payng for a business class seat, and I don't have to recline my seat. On long-haul I check in early also, then stump up the cash for an emergency exit seat.
What annoys me though is that airlines do try to squeeze as many SLF as possible into a plane (understandably), but not taking the needs of all customers into account (imposible to do). But giving people a bit more legroom would be nice.
S.