[exstudent2]

It is in large part a cultural issue. I grew up in a rural town where a large portion of the population was drug addicted. Anti-intellectualism is rampant. I was literally the only person in town who had an interest in learning about computers. Everyone else thought they were for "nerds". The whole town was football crazy though.

The baby boomers also did an excellent job instilling sex, drugs and rock 'n roll as the core set of values in the west. Hedonism is glamorized, reading books not so much.

The infrastructure required to succeed in small towns exists. It's called the Internet and it's a one way ticket to success if you put the effort in to use it and have the strength to go against local culture.