Yeah, that "village idiot/gene pool" line certainly was a rather strange manner in which to comment upon the decrease in provincialism which took place during the 20th century, but I have heard that until the automobile came along, the average person never ventured further than 40 miles away from their home during their entire lifetime.
(...although word is even to this very day and even with their ownership of the motorized vehicle, you can still find some residents within the state of West Virginia which this changing social phenomenon never affected...oh, and in certain parts of Utah too, I hear)
LOL
We have two provinces that may be similar but then again they are surrounded by water on all sides. ;-) Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland. So if you don't own a boat, a big boat then venturing out was a bit troublesome although they may have gone to the other end of the island to spread their genes around somewhat like the British Islanders did on a Triumph.
