Not at all! You and other "small-town" folk is what always distinguished this country in terms of civilized behavior. That's what many Europeans don't get and look at how high teh culture reaches. The French, for instance, measure their culture by the writers, artists, and philosophers it has produced.
But that is just one measure of a culture. Just as human spirit, a culture may (and should) be measured not only by how high it rises but also how low it falls when it debases itself. When you looked not to "high culture" but to small-town folk, this country has always stood out in terms of its civility. The most simple people, who have not even traveled to big cities and have not partaken of the sophistry, have been for the most part well-mannered and gracious. I am far from the first to say so so strongly. Most famously, this has been done by de Tocqueville (yes, Virginia, there are open-minded Frenchmen), to wit: "America is great becasue of the basic goodness of its people. And it will cease to be great if its people cease to be good."
You have my respect and, I believe, should be proud of your values. I am sorry to disagree on one minor point: the deterioration of civility is not limited to some parts of the country. It is widespread, although it well may be that the Midwesteners hold off longer.
Regards, TQ.
Yeah, all Michel Foucault and Jaques Derrida do (in the case of the former, did) is waste paper better put to use for Lowrider and Wrestling magazines.
I'll put America against ANY so-called "civilized" nation anyday of the week.