The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means "my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge". ~Isaac Asimov

In the South there is a prevailing perception of zero sum: book smarts OR common sense.  To whatever degree you have one, the less you have of the other.  

So the key is to appear as if you have no book smarts, and everyone will think you have common sense?