To qualify the following, let me say that almost none of my direct relatives or in-laws are or have been Masons. None of us have been in any Fraternal order of any sort, at least not in recent generations. I have known a few people growing up who were Masons, and don't have any opinions on them more or less favorable than the non-Masons I knew when I was a kid.
And I talk about "as a kid", because I can't think of anyone my age or younger who is a member of any such group. I think my generation thought it was just for the old farts, and have too many other demands on our time.
All that being said, the sole relative (and him by marriage) that I knew to be a Mason, passed away several years ago. At the funeral, a few Masons came to do their graveside rites. Another elderly relative, who has also since passed, was grumbling about the Masons. I forget the exact words, but the sentiment was basically
"They ain't nothin' but a high class version of the KKK...."
There wasn't a lot of explanation, so I didn't know if the disparagement was that they were racist, or that they were a secret society, or that they were elitist. Knowing the relative, the dislike was probably least to most, in the order I gave.
Anyone have any insight on the comments? Do the Masons have a racist past? Or do you figure is was just a distrust of secret societies in general?