Yeah, this whole thing is starting to make me uncomfortable as well, and I wouldn't be surprised if Mississippi in the general sense is as bad (if not worse) than North Dakota, although I can't say I've seen much in terms of bigotry that matches the stereotype (although we more than meet our quota for dumb hicks).

This is going to sound really stupid, but I've never really thought about it, despite the fact that I must have known it sub-consciously. You must have a strong British accent, don't you, YIYF? That was practically rhetorical, just so I don't sound completely ridiculous. In case you haven't noticed, text doesn't lend itself to dialects very well. But, yeah, that must sound pretty out of place in ND. I'd like to hear more about your experiences with the "natives." While we get a lot of Asians here, I can't seem to recall ever encountering a single person from the British Isles here.