I used to work at a gas station during the night shift. I got yelled at for reading because "I was being unproductive." Everything got done hours before my shift ended and no one in the morning ever complained. I started doing my work slower, wandered around pretending to sweep, and read in the backroom where they didn't have cameras and my manager thought I turned over a new leaf.
My job performance was considered better when I was away from my station dicking about looking busy compared to doing everything efficiently and reading while ready to deal with customers.
Texas is a weird place. If you fit a certain mold in the rural parts people will bend over backwards to help you. Anyone outside of that will view you with suspicion however. Racism in the rural south is more based around cultural signifiers than skin color. A POC dressed nicely will be treated pretty normally, especially if they speak politely. The same person wearing a hoodie will be ostracized and viewed with suspicion.
Of course, as you go into cities people become more atomized and less willing to help. Without the southern hospitality, you just individualist racists. People in the rural areas have shitty opinions but sincerely care about community. They're wrong about rural Texas but right about the cities I would say.