A war of the generations seems to have broken out on the streets of Indiana, as a group of teenagers and an elderly man got into a heated exchange. A widely circulating clip shows the older gentleman and the teens in a debate about bicycle use, which quickly spirals out of control.
According to the man, the teens almost hit him while on their bikes. The kids’ nonchalant responses to the man’s ire only made him angrier, as the conversation escalated. The debate seems to be centered around whether cyclists or pedestrians have the right of way on the sidewalk.
The manner in which the teens argued their case appears to lack the empathy that the gentleman was hoping for. Rather than express concern over the fact that they allegedly almost ran him over, the kids appeared to make fun of the man’s anger. That said, it seems that the man came in pretty hot for someone talking to a group of younger people. It’s important to note that the clip begins after things have already escalated, so it’s entirely possible that the exchange started off in a calmer manner.
While watching an older man yell at a group of kids can certainly be jarring, one can argue that the teens’ mockery of the man was provoking his anger. One Redditor perfectly summed up the exchange with, “Old dude is right, not handling it correctly, but still right. These kids have zero respect for anyone and think they can act however they want without any consequences.”
Someone else echoed, “Not even sure who’s in the wrong, but I feel bad for the Boomer. These kids are very stupid. Old people can [expletive] me off too sometimes, but I never get disrespectful towards them; just not the way I was raised.” Other comments were overwhelmingly on the elderly man’s side. Sentiments such as “I’m on Santa Grandpa’s side,” and “Good for Grandpa standing up for himself,” flooded the clip’s comments section.
Thankfully, both the teenagers and the man seemed to be able to simmer down by the end of the clip. One can even see the elderly man crack a smile at the kids’ audacity of wanting selfies with him! As one person pointed out, “I think this just dissolved into banter at the end.“
For what it’s worth, the older gentleman was correct. According to § 73.070 of the American Legal Publishing Code Library, pedestrians have the right of way over cyclists on the sidewalk. Furthermore, if someone on a bicycle wants to pass a pedestrian, they must make their presence known in an audible manner first. That’s Boomer: 1, Gen Z: 0.
