In Texas they do. My wife got a flat a year or so ago and before she could finish dialing roadside assistance, she had a couple of country boys out with jacks ready to change the tire for her, they finished and drove off before she could thank them.
We still hold the door for ladies and wouldn’t ever let a woman pay. (yes, we are talking about younger people too, not just old folks raised when this was common). It may be a shock, but one of the most polite towns I’ve ever been to was pre-Katrina New Orleans.
I travel a lot and I actually believe the ‘lack of courtesy’ stereotyped across the country isn’t as bad as people think. The only place where people were overtly rude was Los Angeles. The people in New York City, for example, are generally very nice. I usually try to avoid all the touristy areas and when you get out where the locals are, they have the same level of courtesy you would find down here.
“Enlightened” Europe is one of the worst places I’ve been regarding courtesy. Prague wasn’t bad in Paris the people are down right rude to everyone, even each other.
The people of Paris are really bad about common courtesy--even non-Parisian French citizens complain a lot about the behavior of people in Paris (it's been said the French in places like Bordeaux, Toulouse, Lyon, Marseille--heck, anywhere beyond the Île-de-France administrative region--are actually pretty decent people).
Great post. It is so good to read something that is not negative.