The sharecropper may lower his eyes, but not because he's less of a man. That's just a condition of society that such things exist.
“John F. Kennedy asked us what we could do for America. This Democratic Party asks what can government give you. Don't worry about paying the bill, it's on your kids and grandkids.”
“Bonfire of the Vanities: The lesson of that book is, never start believing your own press.”