If we were faced with the violence that they have endured for centuries we would be no different. In fact, our own ancestors were to a great extent inured to death from disease and violence in a way that we can't understand today.

With a life expectancy of well over the forty odd years they enjoy, low infant mortality and violence unlikely to ever touch our life we can't hope to fully understand the feelings (numbness) of a people that routinely experience decimation from the warlord of the month.

To the man on the village street in Afghanistan we are not much different in our current seek and destroy roll. It is my opinion that our problems will become acute if and when we start trying to turn them into a western style democracy.

Certainly, what compensation we make for wrongful death is not in the form of trinkets and does not make up for their loss but it beats the hell out of what they are accustomed to receiving. I imagine they accept it in the same spirit as our own do when they are compensated for wrongful death committed by some medical malpractice or fallen tower incident, pissed but somewhat assuaged.

The idea of being "hicks" in the sense that you suggest never occurred to me. Actually, my impression of them as being a more secular people earns them respect in my eyes. I would be much more likely to see them as dehumanized and "hicks" if they were wrapped in religious dogma, acting less like humans and more like zealots.

I suppose it all boils down to who sees what in the opinions of others. If one sees evil where others do not there are a number of ways you can look at that.

Even the Lone Ranger had Tonto.