SteveZee wrote:
Your description of life in the south is quite rosy though and while that may have been your experience, the reality of "In the South Black and White people grow up together, worship the same way, eat the same food, visit each other in their homes and as a general rule have gotten along fairly decently" is from the your white point of view and if it is that way at all, it has only been that way for no more than 30 years at best. Before the late 60's I would venture to say it was quite different. You may have lived in the same city but things were very segregated. You did not eat together in restaurants nor use the same drinking fountains. You worshiped maybe the same way but in different Churches. You may have shared a bus but ask Rosa Parks? This way of life down south in particular was the very reason for the civil rights movement.
I grew up in a small all white town in NJ. As a kid the only blacks I saw was on TV's American Bandstand. High school and college wasn't much different, yes there were more blacks but they were a small fraction of the school population. When I graduated college I took a job (1963) south of the Mason Dixon line. That was the first time I saw "colored cabins". I had to ask a Maryland native what they were. It was quite a cultural shock to me. At work one early experience has stood with me all my life. In the electronics design process the early stages of a prototype is called a "breadboard". It's just kluged together by the design engineer. The next step is a experimental prototype, a bit more refined and better built. In my company it was done by a central facilities shop that served all the company. One day in my engineering design group a new prototype was delivered by the central facilities senior technician that built it. Silas, was his name and you can guess his race. Good looking prototype obviously built with pride. When the senior engineer, an older "Southern" gentleman came in the lab he was in a rage. In front of Silas and I, he took a broom handle and swept the prototype in the trash can. In a loud voice said "I don't touch anything built by a N--ger". I was stunned, shell shocked, embarrassed and didn't know what to do. Silas just left quietly. Realize I was an new college graduate hire, and the senior engineer was many years older than I. Others came into the lab and calmed the senior engineer down. The incident was my first experience with any racial confrontation. After not seeing the senior engineer around for a few days, I learned he had retired. Apparently the company's way getting rid of a bigot. As the years passed and I needed central facilities services, I always asked if Silas was available to do my work. We became friends, not close buddy, buddy but good friends. We never talked about the incident, but we both knew what brought us together. Silas did a great job on anything he built for me and I was his go to engineer when he needed help.
Just my experience in the mid 1960's.
Your experience in life with people of other races, creeds, religions, etc. are ultimately the gospel and you honestly believe it! I' no expert nor will I profess that ass you so have. You know nothing of my life experiences in any form...nor will I share them with you to justify my stance....some things are left better unsaid. I will regress and leave you to believe what you may...that is your right, however, don't forget that society in general and as a whole revolves around you! 
You assume everyone acts out of guilt? Is that true?