I'm from the South and I an attest that even rural areas have some melting pot that happens. The majority don't care about immigrates. A few do violence to them (getting to be less and less every year). The problem that continues to plague these Southern states is they still want a caste system with themselves above someone else. So all that happens is anyone with means leaves the state as soon as they can while the worst people get to continue trying to directly/indirectly enforce the caste system they have imagined.

> People travel all over the country all the time. I live in a rural area and most of the people I know regularly leave the state on vacation.

I know. That's not the US people that think, "Where are you from?" And "where do you live?" Are the same question. You're preaching to the choir. I know all this and agree with it. We get high on our own shit and that leads to a lot of problems.

> There may be problems at the state level which is being displayed proudly by the Southern states right now but a conservative visiting a progressive state isn't going to change their way of thinking.

Southern are the biggest offenders, but it's a bunch of states. People only need to go to other states to see how badly they are getting screwed.

> I may be wrong but I don't think your typical cocky American is going to have an epiphany and change their way of thinking by vacationing in another country.

No, it's not instant like that. And some people are super immune to it. For some people distance and proximity have a way of burrowing into the brain that eventually shows them what is and isn't great in their surroundings. If Americans could vacation out of the country, they would be a percentage that would be a bit more progressive... but that wasn't what I said at all. I said 200 miles. I'm talking about really insular people who see any change as a problem.

I completely understand rural and poor areas in other countries not having the ability to travel/vacation. We're talking about the US where people are proud of their ignorance. A lot of people in the US have access to someone with a car. I'm not going to say travel is cheap, but honestly it would smooth over some of the problems at the state level people have if they saw how much better/worse other states had it. It's very easy to get stuck in their bubble and think there is something wrong with all the people complaining about local issues.

> The fact he was wearing a mask today shows he may not be that up-to-speed, when a vast minority of people wear masks today.

COVID is still out there, getting sick after not being sick for 2-3 years is worse than before, and the immune compromised people didn't just disappeared. Same time, having my sick days for actually things I need rather than getting sick twice a year on schedule from working in a lab where sick people touched everything. It's been a complete godsend.

The short answer is because travel is not cheap but it's still relatively inexpensive.

The long answer is because those people who have never drove more 200 miles out where they were born tend to be the most, "This is how it's always been done and how it will continue to be done." They hate visible change and don't even want to attempt to make things better for themselves/others. Any change is always met with negatives even if they eventually benefit after the painful period.

That person has a PHD in Birdtapologigy. They are also wanted in 9 states for animal cruelty for taping birds to furniture, houses, buildings, and just about any other large object. They have indisputability proved that a pigeon can not be use as a pack animal, construction equipment, and wall dressing.