In resposne to parker's ruralism of the south

Parker a few weeks ago states how ruralism was one of his least favorite stereotypes identified with the south and I strongly agree but I also wanted to give my own input and broaden the topic. I grew up in Atlanta my entire life and was rarely ever exposed to the southern rural stereotypes as much as the suburban stereotypes. Now I'm from Georgia which is basically as southern as you can get but it also has a terrible representation of being your typical rural uneducated hicks due to it's low SAT scores and media influence. the south is not like this at all; it is not an underdeveloped uneducated society. Although I, being a southerner, know better to believe the south is full of hicks and plantations, I can understand where the south gets it's image. When I went to Charleston last weekend, i did noticed the pretty fields of cows grazing. In fact it was probably the most common sight, along with the 15 consecutive advertising for the Farmer's market, a Cracker Barrel at every exit, boiled peanuts stands, and mega Fireworks discounts. if i didn't know better and this was my first impression of the south I'd think the south were full of rural farmers who loved southern cooking as much as they did blowing things up with their guns and fireworks. I would take this personal experience over anything the statistics might show. I compare this experience to the time i traveled through New york and Massachusetts which was full of beautiful maple trees and beautiful orchards. banking on this alone i can understand how old stereotypes can still be relevant to modern day and how they can still constituted.