I just found a post from 2001 in a thread about 'social activism'...
   I will C&P it here, as it is one of the most telling and scary anecdotes I know.
I'm not sure if it goes beyond the bounds of what Azizi asked for, but I can't get it out of my head.

(By the way..the 'Mac' who told me the story was VERY aware of various ethnic groups and had the ability to gain the confidence of and learn about them as close to the 'inside' as a white man could."
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".....In the mid-60s, I was active in civil rights..even to the point of going to Mississippi for voter registration marches..(lots of varied stories there!) But this is a different 'view' of the subject.

....I was talking to a friend in Kansas (Mac) about the situation, and wondering how men could be so mean etc., to allow an entire race to be subjugated...so HE told me about his grandfather......seems the old man was a farmer in Oklahoma, and had black field hands working for him, and had a reputation of being 'too' good to them, giving them decent pay and extra consideration. So...when the civil rights noise started, some neighbors were talking to Mac's grandfather about how to deal with 'uppity' blacks who had the temerity to want to vote and ride in the front of the bus, etc.

"I suppose you are all for givin' 'em equal rights and such", one of the guys said sarcastically to the old man.

"Nope", he replied, "I think we should keep things just like they are." (paraphrased)

"Well!", said the questioner, "I thought you were a liberal do-gooder...so you agree with the rest of us, huh? I'm glad to hear you don't want the damn N*****S getting too uppity, and........."

At this the old man stopped him..."No, you don't understand. It ain't like I don't think they've been treated unfairly, I just don't want to change things."

"Well, why not?"

"It's simple," said the old man," If somebody had stood on MY neck for 300 years, and then stepped back and said,"OK, you can get up now", I know what'd be the first thing I'd do when I got up!"

...it is a rare man who sees that view of the issue...and to this day, it makes me wonder how close to the truth he was....."
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It has been 35 years since Mac told me that story, and I am still mulling over all the implications of the various attitudes involved....but they ALL made things 'matter'.