I was hanging out with my friends on the corner of Geary and Arguello, in San Francisco's richmond district, waiting for our favorite indian all-you-can-eat buffet to open, and I happened to have my longboard (a type of skateboard), and, well, this elderly woman in all black with those black wraparound shades came up to me... and here's the basic transcript of the conversation:
Old Lady: Don't ride that thing in the sidewalk, there's a law against it!
Me: Umm... no there isn't.
OL: Yes there is! You shouldn't do it!
Me: uhh... why not?
OL: Because there's a law against it!
Me: Skateboarding is not a crime.
OL: I'm a senior citizen with disabilities (waves vaguely to her legs, though she was walking fine) and you shouldn't ride those on the sidewalk! It's against the law! (points out a passing cop car).
Me: Uhh.. What about accosting people and making threatening gestures toward strangers? Is that against the law?
OL: Oh, I'll threaten you. (starts walking away)
Me: Oh.. wow... threatening to threaten me... plus one for you!
OL: I could be your mother...
Me: Uhh... no you couldn't.
OL: ... your grandmother!
To which I replied something I won't repeat here, but (un)fortunately, she was out of earshot.
So, where do people get off lambasting other people? I wasn't doing anything wrong, I'm a very concientious boarder. I board like I live, as safely as possible, and I take accountability for wrongdoing. I always give pedestrians, cars, and bikes the right of way, and I follow traffic signals. I don't even dress like a skateboarder. Here I was wearing a black dickies jacket and a nice pair of blue jeans and some boots...
Was it ok for her to prejudge me?