Genovese's Arguments

While the book is a relatively quick read for the length and has some interesting stories and ideas, I am having a hard time with the arguments that Genovese is trying to make. I understand that he is trying to place slavery into a Paternalistic state where hegemony keeps the slaves subordinates to the whites but I just can't get on board with his arguments against anything but full scale revolt being a political action or reaction against slavery. Risking your life to escape to freedom simply as a reaction to and individual event, such as a particular whipping, rather then the assertion that slavery is wrong and freedom is right does not add up to a decent argument to me. Anyone else have thoughts on this?