As an American I think the "world police" analogy fits us perfectly. That is to say that everyone hates us, until something goes wrong, or they need us, then everyone wants to be considered our friend and ally despite all the scorn and insults. It seems that we're viewed with dislike due to "interferance", or whined about because we aren't doing enough.
It's sort of like a cop, you want him to let you break the laws constantly for your conveinence and always hope he's somewhere else, but then when you need one the situation changes entirely, but you still complain about them because suddenly the police aren't enforcing the laws vigorously enough.
I'm from Connecticut, and we're generally viewed as being affluent, well educated, and overly stuck up. Connecitcut being a popular "origin state" for snooty rich kids. Something which of course overlooks the South Eastern part of the state, how liberal the state is (look at which way we go during federal elections), and numerous other factions.
Due to still having some very rural areas, this is also where the "quiet new england towns" that are going to face some massive crisis are frequently placed. Connecticut is part of what some people call "Lovecraft Country" as well, although typically it's a stylistic thing since Lovecraft himself preferred Massachusets to Connecticut as a major setting.
Generally overlooked in favor of Rednecks and Hillbillies, the East Coast (including Connecticut) has it's own equvilent stereotype in "Swamp Yankees".