The facial expression is that of silent courage in the face of treacherous racially aged adversity.
The photo depicts the future inoring the past.
Ironically, the past doesn’t understand that a red MAGA hat wearing young man is destroying the effect of the abusive racially charged outmoded efforts.
Not so much. I’ve seen that facial expression a million times - it means discomfort in the face of something out of the person’s experience, while trying to be a good sport about it. Used to watch the bridge-and-tunnel crowd interact with city creeps in NYC and I saw that facial expression all the time, so much so that decades later I recognized it instantly.
The kid deserves credit for smiling beatifically at the crazy old coot.
I wouldn’t have smiled if some loon got in my face like that.