Ok, so this book hits this subject briefly. What he says is there are honor cultures and dignity cultures. The south is an honor culture. And in honor cultures, people are notably MORE polite on the surface; however, should you really run afoul, they will kick your ass. That why they are especially polite on the surface -- to avoid things going bad. A dignity culture is less polite but also less likely to try to kick your ass.

https://www.amazon.com/WEIRDest-People-World-Psychologically-Particularly-ebook/dp/B07RZFCPMD