As I read the beginning of the article, I registered disintrest and dismissal concerning the beauty pagent and its prizes. Nothing to do with small-town America. Everything to do with my feelings towards beauty pagents and trivial news.

I have a low tolerance for local news. It is supremely boring to me. I feel guilty about it, because I do believe that local politics and local involvement in community are supremely important. And thank the gods there are other folks willing to do that scut-work because I don't have the patience.

There are some things I'm willing to do for my community like volunteer my physical labor. I've spent hours landscaping at my daughter's elementary school (many years ago), teaching literacy to adults, and a couple flood/fire efforts. Just don't expect me to give a flyer about local politics or pagents.

As far as some anti-small-town-America prejudice: yeah, some folks have that. Some folks hate the big-city-folk too (you've made a disparaging remark or two, I recall). I don't know who is in the majority.