yeah, exposing a child to nothing more than a corn field is abusive because when they become adults they have no tools to succeed or any context with which to understand and navigate the world. and also it creates a cultural barrier that really makes it hard for them to get along on the coast. you create this stunted human, yeah i think it meets the criteria for abuse if only just and if only in the most modern interpretation of the word abuse. i certainly would never do it to any kid that i had to raise. maybe youre from the midwest and if i have offended you then i apologize but no problem has ever gone away because people ignored it. it must be confronted like all the other societal problems that hurt people needlessly.