I certainly felt like I would never break into “white society” when I moved down to Northeastern Mississippi for a year. I had a better chance of socializing elsewhere, and being an introvert in the North meant I still felt like I belonged, like I could interact with people on a daily basis. Not so in the South. Yankee Not Wanted sign hung on their foreheads. These straight white southern men hate weakness, and so would hate Gus. I knew on the other hand that Gus must have some for of autism or something, and was “simply” overwhelmed by the size of the crowd and the magnitude of what was happening, and reacted with this crying. I thought it was a sweet moment. It turns out as you note he does have some learning issue. I’m not surprised as Laura Ingram is a typical tough guy, hard and ruthless, appealing only to the boring gender white normative that is the core of Trumpism. So sick of it and her. She is the kind of person that has a kind word for no one.