A couple of times a year, an online “debate” swells up on Reddit or social media over what part of the country Oklahoma actually belongs to.
I put the word “debate” in quotes because it’s a nuanced, opinion-heavy topic with no definitive answer—and thus, no actual debate to win—but it’s always a solid conversation starter for social media engagement or killing time at a comedy benefit.
Comedian, author, and filmmaker W. Kamau Bell learned this the other day while speaking at an ACLU of Oklahoma benefit at the Yale Theatre:
Yep, that’s right—Oklahoma is apparently part of the Midwest.
In other news, I was today years old when I learned that a comedian thinks an ACLU benefit dinner is the best place to gauge the collective mindset of Oklahomans!
Seriously, no offense to the folks at this event, but I don’t think an ACLU gathering is the ideal place to research mainstream Oklahoma views. For that, Kamau should have swung by a Walmart, Dollar General, or the Remington Park casino.
If he had, he would’ve quickly realized there’s no clear answer to what region Oklahoma belongs to.
That’s because Oklahoma—thanks to its geographic location, relative youth, and messy colonization history—sits at a cultural crossroads that somehow manages to combine many of the worst traits from various regions into one convenient panhandle-shaped package.
For example, if you’re looking to live in a place populated by people who act like Florida Man, eat like Texas Man, and do drugs like Missouri Man, then congratulations—you belong in Oklahoma. We’re a state that, thanks to our voters and elected officials, has somehow merged the racism and politics of the Deep South, the poverty and despair of Appalachia, and the aesthetic confusion of the Southwest.
But then again, that’s just my snarky, honest take. What do you think we should claim? Are you a Southern absolutist, Midwest maniac, or Southwestern sociopath? Or do you march to your own beat and drop terms like Heartland, Breadbasket, or Flyover?
Leave a comment to let us know—and keep that engagement rolling.
