Southern Gentlemen

Rhett Butler from "Gone With The Wind", a true southern gentlemen.

Having been raised in the South I have acquired a few habits that have become second nature to me. I grew up in a home where if anything else was said other than yes ma'am, no ma'am, yes sir, no sir, you would be in trouble. I was taught to hold doors open for girls and to always be polite no matter the circumstance. If I wasn't taught in the home, my mom paid for me to go to Cotillion classes. Here I would learn such things as how to properly set a table, how to introduce oneself and another to somebody, and even how to dance (At the time it was the worst experience of my life, but now i greatly appreciate it).
While I haven't traveled much outside of the southeast, it would seem to me that Southern gentlemen have the best manners of anybody around. My evidence comes from those southern cities I have traveled to such as Charleston, South Carolina, Birmingham, Alabama, and even Statesboro, Georgia. It is generally a much more pleasant experience than say a trip to New York City ( I have been once and will never go back again). People in the South are nicer and much more polite. I don't know if its the nicer weather or if its just the way southerners were raised.
It is a trend nowadays to be as cool as you can and be the biggest badass on campus. And for some reason girls go for this, but that's another point. It is up to us southern men to keep the values that have been instilled in us and to pass them on to our children one day.
I leave you with a quote from one of the greatest military leaders the south has seen:

"We have only one rule here - to act like a gentleman at all times." - Robert E. Lee

My question to you is, if you are from the south, have you had any experiences where being a southern gentlemen has paid off for you? If your not from the south, am I off base by saying having good manners is a southern thing or have you noticed a difference since living in a southern city such as Atlanta? Overall, what are your general thoughts on what a true southern gentlemen is?