The statement Ignatius makes about New Orleans is, in my opinion, an unfair generalization that stems from a lack of understanding about true New Orleans culture. Though Ignatius is a native of the city, he may as well be from anywhere else. He takes no pride in this place and is perfectly content to remain isolated from the most culturally rich aspects of the city. Because New Orleans is so unique, I can see how an outsider could misunderstand the fact that New Orleans simply doesn't operate like any other city in the country. The cultural influences differ radically from most other places. It seems that sometimes people don't take the time to learn how and why this is the case, and instead focus on the vices as an explanation (or an excuse) for its abnormality. An approach like that is bogus from the start given the fact that every city has vices and scandals. New Orleans is just an easy target to point a finger at because it does less to hide it. In my opinion this is more honorable than sweeping it under the carpet and pretending it doesn't exist. So if anyone you encounter tries to claim that New Orleans is a cesspool of crime and heathenism...They're probably just jealous.