On Change

Playing a board game with a few friends the other night. We'd just finished one round and a fifth player arrives: he's going to be using the last remaining colour, which happens to be purple. One of my friends exclaims:

"Ha, man, you get to be purple, the gay colour!"

I glance at him.

He gets defensive: "Hey man, I was just joking!"

"Really?" I ask. "I don't get it, then. What's the joke?"

He's not having any of it: "Man, we all know how you feel about the gays."

I'm a little incredulous, now: "Really? How's that?"

At this point he's getting exasperated: "You never used to be like this, professor."

I fire back: "This isn't about getting a PhD, it's about being a good person."

He lets it go: "Whatever." I don't push the issue any further. We get on with the game.

In a way, he was right: I have changed. It's not that I wouldn't have disagreed with his comments in the past, I just wouldn't have challenged or vocally questioned them in even the incredibly minor way I did this time.

So yes, I have changed -- and I certainly hope I will continue to.