Patch it ? You can sacrifice one pant to donate patch material to save the others.
I find doing it by hand is easiest, as wrestling the pants under the machine is tricky. If you want a less visible mend, you can put the patch behind the broken fabric, at the cost of durability.
Press on patches also exist and seems to work fine, I don’t have a lot of experience with it though.

One recommandation for patches in general, is to cover a much bigger area than the hole, otherwise you might have to redo it very soon.

Is the coat lined ? You could mend it through both layers or unstitch the lining and mend only the top layer. It is a tiny rip, but also a opportunity to practice adding a patch at the back of the fabric.
Satin stitch, fishbone stitch or buttonhole stitch could be an option to cover the repair. A little flower could also work, there are lot’s of video tutorials that explain it well !

It is tricky to get someone to recognise that they aren’t knowlegable enough. Even if you say it as gently as possible, some will still hear “you’re dumb” and no one likes that.
Also it’s a great tool to manipulate people : “I don’t need a scientist trying to explain me life from the depths of their lab !! I have commonsense !!”

You need a bit of knowledge to get the most out of a complex music, which sounds intimidating.
Or you can just go to the concert blind and take in all the emotions, but people don’t know that’s a perfectly valid way to enjoy classical music. (It is! go to the concerts and don’t be afraid to have an opinion)

The history of elitism is definetly there, and instruments are not cheap, which attracts up-their-arses kinds of people, you are absolutely correct. But also they are people who just like the historical aspect of it and want to play an accoustic instrument ! Also you don’t have to dress to go to the opera or concert anymore. If someone looks at you weid, they are the weird one !
May I ask whether the ones you have been speaking to play themselves? Most musicians I’ve met were chill about it, maybe it’s different with listeners?

playing in a symphonic orchestra. sure, it sounds cool, but most people don’t know much about the topic and feel intimidated by it, so the conversation is just me attempting to convince them that it’s not just for rich nerds and you can be casual about classical music.

Another problem with light rail would be mountains. Trains don’t like those. On the other hand, cable-cars and cog railway exists and seem to be viable solutions. The city of Lyon even has both and since the cog railway starts on a flat terrain, it is able to switch between both.

I mostly agree with you that trams are generally better, but we need to point out that bus stations are not placed randomly on the map. If an appartment complex gets build somewhere, a bus station will also appear next to it, probably faster than rail transport (assuming whichever organism in charge is competent, and that there is discussion between them and the users). Busses are better suited places with less trafic and fast to put in place. Trams are good long term and better for pedestrians. (and a lot cooler and more comforable)

Biggest drawback for anything on rails really, it works either really well or not at all. I think it is still worth it, but I am also incredibly biased towards trains.