I'd second the suggestion for getting a camera, perhaps a highly visible one. I've not run into this myself but I live in Minnesota where everyone is "minnesota nice".

The only place I'd give someone crap for an e-bike is if they showed up for an fast organized ride with one. I mean if you're going to jump into a competition...now you're cheating.

For everything else it's rediculous. It's always better to get outside and moving than to just sit around, and sometimes the distance you need to travel is a little longer than you want to go strictly under your own power. Most people can't just move to be closer to work...