I’m in high school and I yoyo occasionally. It’s pretty well received, I haven’t had any insults at all, just praise. There are many good reasons to throw in public such as:
Meeting new people, people will stop and tell you what they think about yoyoing. It may be a smaller kid who had a duncan imperial, some teenager who has never yoyoed before, one of those older adults who played yoyo in their youth, etc.
Find other yoyoers/skill you players in you area
Convert “Yuggles” into fellow throwers. There are 3 people at my school that have picked up yoyoing after they saw me. It’s always better to play with others.