Blackface
I had a landlord who was originally from Alabama, but I never appreciated how racist he was until I visited his mountain cabin, and poked my head where I ought not to have looked: a library filled with segregationist literature. A whole universe that I didn't even know existed opened up. Apparently the American South in the civil rights years had a bustling pulp book industry detailing just how evil the 'Nigras' were, and the shelves groaned with these titles. Aside from this foible, he was a perfect gentleman, and race seldom came up.

Except sometimes, by accident. One day, I was trying to puzzle out what I thought might be a blocked carburetor jet on my VW Bug, so I inserted my lips into the top of the carburetor, formed a seal, and blew into it. My landlord approached with a question. When I turned towards him, he stood back, aghast, and pointed at me. The carburetor had left a perfect black ring on my white face, right around my lips - just like a blackface parody - except in photonegative. I stood there in irritated incomprehension, asking "What - what's so funny?" as he doubled over with gales of laughter.

My understanding is that they had a big fire on that mountaintop a few years ago. If the library didn't survive, it's history's loss, but society's gain.
(Perv With A Dog had his eyes pecked out by scrub jays on, Mon 25 Feb 2013, 4:18, Reply)