Obviously I was facetious with "uncivil".
Have you been to the less urban sections od the Island [thank god there are still many]?
If you have explored the historic St. George and Richmond Town on foot, if you saw the Victorian homes in Tottenville, had the best Italian food in town, took a bike ride through the amazing Clay Pit Ponds, chilled out on the cleanest and best beaches in New York, and having done that you'd call it "lots of strip malls and (mostly) trashy looking houses" then I'd have no arguement with your statement. Have you?
Meadowfair
Snug Harbor
Garibaldi lived here
Willowbrook Park
Richmond Town
Museum of Tibetan Art
Wolfe's Pond
These are just snapshots, pebbles of what Staten Island really is.