Airline "Southwest" allocates most seats based on when you click "check in". If you check in earlier, your boarding position is closer to first, and your chance of getting a desired seat goes way up. You can pay extra to board earlier ("Early bird") for $15. They don't have classes (there is no "first class" or business or coach) but you can pay for other features like cash-refundable tickets or boarding first.
Airline "Delta" simply lets you book your seat, so if you buy reasonable early, you can book a desired seat.
For other airlines, if the cost to upgrade to a window seat is on the order of $10-15, then I do it.
So I think your experience is limited to a small number of airlines, and your description of the OP as "childish" is poor.