I have another opinion or rather this is my take on (Phil's) speaking on the blacks when he spoke about his up bringing with them, and how he had worked with them and etc. If anything I think he was trying to give them a compliment when looking back in the day, otherwise when he said that they were all in the same boat together, and that he never heard them complain about their situation, just like he didn't complain about his either. All they seemed to be to him was happy, and Christians who knew that someday it would bet better as time went by for them, and that it would be better because they would better themselves each day, just like Phil looked at it in the same ways along with them.
Interpreted - Phil being a poor country boy who knew the blacks that resided in his area back in the day were the same as him, and this was when he was a young man/boy. He did not understand them to be racist against whites back then, and that is what he was speaking about when he spoke on the subject (I think) upon concerning the blacks and their plight in life, just like what his plight was along with them, and in which for him was all the same in his life as well.
He described back then how he worked with them in the fields, and he was with them. He also said that he was considered white trash by his peers, and this meant that he was oppressed or mistreated by them, and this due to certain things that he may or may not have done in order to suit them and their ideals of what a Phil should be in his life in their eyes.
He said that he never seen any mistreatment of the blacks while he was on their level (i.e. what he meant was, is that they weren't mistreated no more than he was in life at the time, and especially not by him because he was their friend and co-worker). You see they all just worked for the farmers in that day just as he did with them. He said they were all happy doing what they were doing at the time (no complaining about it ever came from their mouths, nor did they trash ****** for it), and they all knew that there would always be hope to someday do better for all of them, and this is what him and they knew because they all believed in God and still do.
The blacks ought to be defending Phil, because he did not believe in slavery nor did he ever own a slave, and he worked with the blacks at the same levels, and just as hard along side of them, and he had friends in those blacks in which he worked with, and he never heard them complain or blame ****** for their plight in life. They just did what Phil did, and they eventually loosed themselves from the situation that they were in over time, and this by doing something about it instead of blaming others as the game is now being played today. I also worked with great black folk on a farm in my day, and we made great friendships while working in the hot scorching sun for over 12 to 13 hours a day during the growing and harvesting seasons. I to never heard them complain or accuse white people of their situation when we worked together. This was in the seventies. Many went on to retire and they still were great friends to the owner of the farm, and also to me and other workers for whom we all had worked hand in hand together back in those days. Phil is just frustrated on all the race baiting and immoral life styles that is going on today, and I think that he would rather stay out of the lime light on such issues. And hey he is right to not want to be in the lime light on such issues, because he probably knew that he would be miss-interpreted, and his words would be taken out on context if he did.
I know where Phil is coming from, and he may not have been able to articulate his words correctly when speaking about that time period (NO NOT THE 1800's either), but rather it was a time period where him and the blacks all worked together, laughed together, probably smoked pot together, and were the best of friends. I am glad that he knew them in that way, and they are probably glad that they knew him in that way also. GQ knew that they could exploit Phil due to his articulating problems, and they set him up I think.. The question is this now, where as is GQ a super political driven entity that is out to destroy people for an evil agenda in which they have or are they just dumb and/or all out stupid ?