[Quincy Lehr]

Like David says, Norman (where I grew up) is one town to the south of Moore, so yeah, I take it a bit personally when some dip$#!t throws what is in origin an ethno-regional slur at my home state in a rather tasteless and thoroughly unfunny joke.

[Seree Zohar]

not being from there, so Quincy, it's my dunce time: I thought the term was originally just geographic-related, then came to be used pejoratively, then switched to being one of pride indicating that despite the upping and going in hard times, those who upped and left made it and did well, and now it's returned to being more a term of pride than pejorative. So what havent I understood? [sheesh, y'know, I could also have made the same kind of mistake, using the term with good intentions ... since it's not in the same rank as the N word, methinks, or perhaps I'm wrong on that too?]

[dean peterson]

Not from there, either, but I think Okie may have been initially pejorative/disparaging (immigrants/depression era driven) and was maybe even cast as Oakie at one point. There's a proud history in Oklahoma, regardless, from at least Steinbeck to Merle Haggard (and Barry Switzer, though I hesitate to bring up football) far as I know.

Btw, I think it's okeydoke or okeydokey, although obviously there may be variants.

[Quincy Lehr]

Seree--

It is far less offensive than the n-word, but with proportions guarded, there's a not dissimilar dynamic. I hear black people in my neighborhood call each other the n-word in my neighborhood (Bed-Stuy) with some frequency. If I used it, I'd get my ass kicked. And rightfully so.

[dean peterson]

Being from Nebraska, I can kind of feel your pain Quincy, but seriously, Okie, not a dissimilar dynamic. I think you might be taking this too seriously.

[W.F. Lantry]

Being from California, I've got to agree with Quincy on this point. Remember that old Woody Guthrie song, Do-Re-Mi?

'Cross the desert sands they roll, gettin' out of that old dust bowl,
They think they're goin' to a sugar bowl, but here's what they find
Now, the police at the port of entry say,
"You're number fourteen thousand for today."

Who wants to be reminded of all that?

Besides, making jokes based on the suffering of others is often considered unseemly. If poets want to do something productive about what happened in Moore, perhaps it would be better to send work to any of the various charity anthologies being put together, whose proceeds go
to the people there. It's not much, admittedly, but at least it's better than making jokes at their expense.

Best,

Bill

[dean peterson]

Just want to make very clear, I don't want to condone making jokes based on the suffering of others either, in case that wasn't clear.

[Skip Dewahl]

The joke was about paper, not the Oklahoma situation. I was contrasting the two to show that we need to put our priorities in order. Jeez! Hell, I was even offended when a member here all but said that he was glad to be out of Georgia, and I'm far from being a busybody like Quincy. By the way, Quince, I won't make that hoped-for big faux pas that will get me kicked off, so quit trying already! Oh, try some netiquette before you correct the spelling of others and wait a decent interval, giving them time to edit, that is.

[Quincy Lehr]

Skip--

Sometimes people really are just pissed off.

Quincy

[Rick Mullin]

Anyway, I'm all over this print out the Internet project. I'm up to the letter P.

RM