Are Telephoto Lenses Bad for Street Photography?

If you look at most of the Youtubers and even articles out there on street photography and finding the right gear, you'll see that most of us talk about using wide to normal focal lengths. The reason for this: it lies in accountability. You have to get close to your subjects and be a human being with them. The converse side of all this is that we're talking way too much about gear. And the truth: It's somewhere in the middle of it all.