I have gotten the same vibe, along with a sort of condescending mockery anytime they divined (from my car's plates or my telling them) I was from Iowa.
WRT Michael Lesy's book, it is sort of a creepy tabula rasa for people who want to take a bygone culture's norms and make them seem weirder than they were. In 1890 one probably didn't have to look too far to find rural and small-town lunatics who managed to avoid detection or being committed, just like most of America today... but today a judge or an advocacy group would make sure they stayed out with the masses until they did something atrocious or frightful and then the media would blame guns, edged weapons or hand tools, or white guys, or Republicans.
‘....but today a judge or an advocacy group would make sure they stayed out with the masses until they did something atrocious or frightful and then the media would blame guns, edged weapons or hand tools, or white guys, or Republicans. ….”
Excellent points!
“...condescending mockery anytime they divined (from my car’s plates or my telling them) I was from Iowa...”
How ironic...I had Iowa plates at that time too (Dubuque)! Even had the air let out of all 4 tires one time for that reason. Lots of low life white trash punks who imagined they were tough.