Final answer:
The black field worker was made fun of by his next door neighbor, an act indicative of the personal degradation that African Americans often unexpectedly faced during the era of Jim Crow laws.
Step-by-step explanation:
The individual who made fun of the black field worker who was older than him was a, his next door neighbor. The context given suggests that the mockery is representative of the discrimination faced by African Americans during the era of Jim Crow laws. Oral histories and personal accounts from African Americans reveal that moments of unexpected personal degradation, such as being snubbed by individuals one assumed to be friends or neighbors, were particularly painful. These incidents turned an impersonal system of oppression into acute personal humiliation. Such an understanding is important to grasp the social and emotional toll of racial discrimination beyond formal policies and laws such as those dictated in the provided regulations regarding the employment of African Americans.