Every Tuesday, if I walk south from my office building at lunch, toward downtown and away from campus, I pass a dedicated little band of "peace demonstrators" outside the Ann Arbor federal building.

These folks are survivors from the '60s and '70s. Their average age is probably close to 70. They're not loud, I don't think they can be. I don't agree with all of their signs and statements, but they do have the courage to stand there - week after week for years now - and mostly be ignored. Although sometimes the older women get a ticket for trespass if they get tired and sit on a concrete planter.

But something has changed.

Today as I walked by, I determined not to get engaged in conversation, and I didn't. Mainly, although I agree with their purposes on behalf of peace, these people have had idiocentric biases for decades now and I don't want to get caught up in their lifetime of details, just show my support.

So, I said, "Hey, folks, I appreciate you being out here every week." As I did so, I heard a murmur from other pedestrians who were saying the same thing. Wow.

And then, in a row, four cars drive by and honked support with thumbs-up. In the past two years the only car I have seen do that was mine! And those cars were driven by young people! People who a year ago would (I think.) have been mortified by showing public support for a bunch of old peaceniks.

Like I said, maybe this is a tipping point. Or maybe it's just a nice spring day.