Respecting elders is important, but it doesn’t mean they’re always right in every situation.

An routine elevator ride quickly turned uncomfortable when one elderly woman complained about being “cut off” by a younger rider.

You’ll want to read on for this one.

AITA for telling a woman to keep her comments to herself in an elevator?

Earlier today, I was waiting for the elevator in my office building.

The doors opened, no one was directly in front of me, so I stepped in.

But it soon became clear this was the wrong move.

A woman and an elderly couple were just behind me, but I hadn’t seen or heard them until after I got on.

As soon as I stepped in, the woman complained out loud that I didn’t let her on first.

They tried to save face by apologizing, but even this wasn’t good enough for the elderly woman.

I was caught off guard, but I apologized and said there was plenty of room for everyone, so it wasn’t a big deal.

I wasn’t trying to cut anyone off; I genuinely didn’t notice anyone behind me.

She continued on her tirade.

She got on with the couple but kept going, saying how rude I was, how I had no manners, how people like me are what’s wrong these days, stuff like that.

This went on for at least a minute, maybe more, and eventually I snapped a bit.

Finally, the other rider had enough.

I raised my voice and said, “Could you just keep your comments to yourself?”

She went quiet, but the old couple sort of whispered something to her and gave me a look.

Now they’re second-guessing themselves.

Now I’m wondering if I just confirmed whatever idea they had about me, like maybe I actually was the jerk here.

I honestly didn’t mean to offend anyone. I just wanted to ride the elevator in peace.

So, AITA for finally telling her to be quiet?

This interaction shows just how quickly civility can break down under pressure.

Reddit is sure to get a kick out of this one.

This elderly couple is anything but innocent here.

This lady was a big ol’ hypocrite.

This elderly couple was still perfectly able to board the elevator just fine.

Manners are important, but any reasonable person could see this was an innocent mistake.

This elderly woman’s judgmental attitude just caused unnecessary tension, so it’s only natural the other rider would stand up for themselves.

In situations like these, nobody really wins.

If you enjoyed that story, read this one about a mom who was forced to bring her three kids with her to apply for government benefits, but ended up getting the job of her dreams.