Not a Texas-hater exactly, but there’s something specific here wrt culture and identity. Texans routinely describe Texas as exceptional, as different, as uniqu

Not a Texas-hater exactly, but there’s something specific here wrt culture and identity. Texans routinely describe Texas as exceptional, as different, as unique. You may be right that there are generic problems at work, but when the protagonist insists that they aren’t like others, it’s not a surprise that people don’t think that way.