Ever since coming to Texas to go to school, my homestate, Oklahoma, tends to be the topic of interest (or the butt of all jokes) when I mention where I am from. I really don’t know where this idea that Texas is better than Oklahoma came from, but rarely do I find someone here who isn’t ready to jump on me with a retort to “I’m from Oklahoma!”
Here is a list of just some of the things I’ve heard:
1. "What time is it?” “2 o’ Clock” “..And OU still sucks!”
Or whatever time you wish to fill in. First off, not every Oklahoman is a fan of OU. Secondly, why..? Just why?
2. “I’m so sorry”
This is probably the most annoying response to “I’m from Oklahoma” there is. Our states are so similar it’s not even funny. With the rolling pastures filled with cows and a deeply rooted love for all things football, we're all the same.
3. “Don’t like the weather? Wait five minutes and it’ll change!”
Texans seem to think they’re the only ones with this phrase. Famously stated by Will Roger’s, he said: "If you don't like the weather in Oklahoma, wait a minute and it'll change.” Tons of states have their own version of this, y’all.
4. “Aren’t you glad you’re here now?”
If I had known about all this before I came, maybe I wouldn’t have! No, but really, why do people ask this one all the time? It's probably the most popular one.. right behind "I'm so sorry".
5. “Oh, you’re from up north.”
Oklahoma may not be as southern as Texas, but we’re definitely not a northern state by any means! Not everyone can touch Mexico!
6. "You know why Texas doesn't fall into the Gulf of Mexico? Because Oklahoma sucks.”
I really have nothing to say about this one. I didn't have anything to say when the person said it to me either.
7. “Where the wind comes sweeping down the plainsssss~”
Or any part of that song or musical. We get it, you’re just jealous we have a musical and you don’t!
8. “Have you seen a tornado? Have you been in one? Has your house been destroyed? What about-“
Just because we have lots of them doesn’t mean every Oklahoman is running outside to sit in a lawn chair to witness them like their nightly soaps (though I can't say I haven't seen my fair share of people do it). I’ve seen circulation in the clouds one time and ever since I always high tail it to the bathroom until the sirens stop going off.
9. “If you have so many tornados, why don’t you just move?”
This one and the previous one isn’t just from Texans, but from everyone, really. Just because we have tornados doesn’t mean we’re going to move. Are you telling people from Florida and the entire east coast to move because of hurricanes or Californians to move because of earthquakes? There’d be no where for anyone to live if we tried to avoid everything!
10. “Y’all drive so slow!”
Sorry that we like to look at those little white rectangular signs every couple of miles or so to make sure we’re in the right ballpark for how fast we can go, rather than going 85 no matter what the sign says!
Honestly, y’all are just jealous we Oklahomans have Route 66. But really, though, we’re so similar that I don’t understand the hate. We’re just as obsessed with sweet tea and completely appalled when restaurants don’t serve chips. We say “y’all” and have our fair share of phrases like “I’m fixin’ to..”, “bless her heart”, and “I reckon..”, even if not everyone has that southern drawl. And going North is a nightmare for the both of us because Dr. Pepper and white gravy are both incredibly hard to find. Can’t we just enjoy what makes us similar and unique and be friendly?
