My Take On OKC

[CO-To-OKC]

I visited OKC for the first time this last week. Overall, I was pretty impressed with the city, so here's my take. Take it for what it's worth:

Downtown: All of the road construction made navigating the downtown a pain, but I was pretty impressed with everything else. I spent my first night in Bricktown, and I was pleased with all of the dining choices, and thought that the area was well-patroled by police. I notice that Micky Mantle is pretty big in OKC too, which makes me happy a a Yankee fan!

Thunder Game/Ford Center: I went to the Lakers-Thunder game on Sunday. The Ford Center is a great arena, and it was one of the best NBA crowds I've ever been a part of. Too bad the Thunder didn't win the game.

OKC National Memorial/Museum: I was ultra-impressed with this. The memorial was pretty sombering and the museum is done very well. It's a place that all Americans should visit sometime.

Transportation: The city was really easy to navigate. OKC has done a good job of planning for growth and building their highways to accomodate all of the growth. It's a far cry from what Denver did when they planned the city.

Food: There were lots of dining options in OKC. I was really impressed with Earl's Ribs and the Cattleman's Steakhouse.

The Bad: My hotel was located near the airport. I went to a nearby Walmart and the crowd creeped me out. I don't want to offend anyone, but I did notice quite a few overweight and obese people while I was there. You guys need to get in shape! I didn't see very many options for shopping or entertainment.

One last thing: Are there any single women in OKC? It seemed like every girl I saw while I was there was with a boyfriend/husband. Not sure how good the dating scene is down there.

Overall, you guys are doing pretty good. Keep up the good work. OKC is one of America's best kept secrets!

[Bunty]

I don't want to offend anyone, but I did notice quite a few overweight and obese people while I was there. You guys need to get in shape!

lol, fat people don't creep me out too much, but I need to have them around to serve as a reminder how bad I need to keep on keeping my weight under 200lbs.

[Matt]

I went to a nearby Walmart and the crowd creeped me out. I don't want to offend anyone, but I did notice quite a few overweight and obese people while I was there. You guys need to get in shape!

Culture shock!

[jn1780]

Did you go to the Macarthur and I-40 Walmart? Doesn't seem like there would be that many single women in that area.

And yes, were fat. Well, not me, I'm a 6,0 ft skinny tall guy. LOL

[Bigrayok]

It is funny how we can't say bad things about people's race, religion, national origin, sexual preference, etc. in this country, but if they struggle with weight problems we can be creeped out by them, ridicule them, bully them, and discriminate against them in the workplace. People in the U.S. talk about "tolerance" all of the time, but we can't tolerate fat people. It may cause insurance rates to go up. Oh, I know, fat people can do something about it, but it is getting to the point in this country that it is more socially acceptable to be an alcoholic or a drug addict than it is to be overweight. If a person has been to alcohol or drug treatment, they can claim to have a disability. Doctors refer to alcoholism and drug addiction as a disease. Overweight people can not claim obesity in itself as a disability unless they have an obesity related illness that has created a disability. Obese people are labled as undisciplined, lazy, and weak. I know obese people that have contributed much more to society and have been more productive than so called "normal, healthy" people.

Saying Oklahoma City has too many overweight and obese people is like going to San Francisco and saying there are too many homosexuals, bi-sexuals, and transgendered people. There a lot of genetic, physiological, social, family, economic, and other influences on why people are overweight. We have allowed Hollywood and the media to create unrealistic expectations of health and beauty in this country. I had a high school classmate that was beautiful die of anorexia in her thirties leaving behind two children and a husband. Her case was reported on in the Oklahoman. I am all for fighting obesity, but doing it with ridicule, social exclusion, and workplace discrimination is not the solution. Fight obesity, not the obese.

Bigray in Ok

[jn1780]

Everyone just implied that fat people creeped him out. That could have just been a poorly written paragraph. If anyone hasn't been creeped out by someone at Walmart, they don't go to Walmart very often.

[Matt]

All the hot chicks shop at Target, anyway. Everyone should know this.

[dmoor82]

^^I know right!Everyone just go to a Target and see The HUGE difference in Women! It's Night and Day!

[PennyQuilts]

I don't feel one bit bad about being hard on obesity - it is a horrible way to treat your body. I feel the same way about smokers. We have a terrible health care problem in this country and obesity and smoking are two things that drive up the likelihood of all kinds of chronic, expensive treatment. Simply being a little overweight or not a size 6 is one thing and that is not what I am talking about. I am talking about obesity. I grew up in a time when there were one or two fat kids in a grade. It was uncommon to be fat. Now, it is commonplace. Worrying about their tender feelings, to me, is about like telling a drug addict that they "need" their drug and shouldn't feel bad about it.

[Snowman]

I don't feel one bit bad about being hard on obesity - it is a horrible way to treat your body. I feel the same way about smokers. We have a terrible health care problem in this country and obesity and smoking are two things that drive up the likelihood of all kinds of chronic, expensive treatment. Simply being a little overweight or not a size 6 is one thing and that is not what I am talking about. I am talking about obesity. I grew up in a time when there were one or two fat kids in a grade. It was uncommon to be fat. Now, it is commonplace. Worrying about their tender feelings, to me, is about like telling a drug addict that they "need" their drug and shouldn't feel bad about it.

Shame does not seem an effective deterrent to obesity at this point.

[PennyQuilts]

Shame does not seem an effective deterrent to obesity at this point.

I don't think most of us are trying to shame anyone. Most of us would be horrified to embarass someone and don't think that anything we say would make a difference, anyway. All the same, that doesn't mean we think it is okay. It isn't. It is a horrible thing to do to yourself and a rotton thing to allow to happen to your child.

These days, it is especially hard with all the processed food and move away from an active lifestyle. I get all that. But allowing yourself to become obese (assuming you don't have an underlying medical condition that keeps you immobile) is foolish. And allowing your child to become obese is downright irresponsible. It is hard to control the intake of a 15 year old but we have all seen fat four year olds. The parents are undermining the child's ability to be healthy and it WILL negatively impact his social and economic prospects.

We constantly hear about anorexia and how awful it is. It gets brought up whenever obesity is raised. There is no question that anorexia is a terrible disorder that can ruin someone's health. But suggesting that taking a stand against obesity is the equivalent of encouraging anorexia is faulty logic that denies reality. We all know, personally, people who have destroyed their health by being obese. Some have died of heart attacks, been plagued by diabetes, etc. Hardly any of us know someone who has died of anorexia. It is a strawman.

Food disorders can lead to both anorexia and obesity - I get that. But saying obesity is unhealthy is not any different than saying anorexia is unhealthy. If we saw a parent starving their child or getting that child to purge, we'd call them abusers. When they stick a twinkie in their child's mouth to keep them quiet, we say nothing.

A lot of people think that if you criticize obesity, you are actually encouraging anorexia. I don't see that. Anorexia is more likely to result from a girl having a poor body image - criticizing a young girl's figure, whether she has a big butt, heavy thighs, etc. Or for that matter, criticizing, in her hearing, the figure of someone else who is not obese but just isn't a supermodel. Not everyone can be cutie pies and to judge someone on how much they look like a supermodel is an impossible, unhealthy thing to put on women. Saying that someone should avoid obesity is NOT the same thing as telling a perfectly healthy size 8 with a thick waist and thighs that she is fat. Nitpicking a healthy girl's figure is abusive and boorish, as far as I am concerned. But it is NOT in the same category of objecting to obesity. In the first, you are criticizing a healthy figure which messes with a young girl's head. In the second, you are pointing out something that is unhealthy.

[Dustin]

People who shop at Walmart arent that bad!





ehh err.. nvm.

[kevinpate]

not to be too picky, but,
if you're so cold natured enough that you need to wear your coat in wally world,
but you canna tell you've dropped trou to near on your knees,
there's probably some medical disconnect going on that needs to be checked out.

On the bright side, while I have spied a friend in the PoW collection, I've never spied any of the fam.

[bornhere]

I could have gone the rest of my life without seeing that picture.

[metro405]

Nice Post BigRayok I agree with you Thank you for enlightening people who discriminate against other people

[MikeOKC]

I'm glad you enjoyed your trip to Oklahoma City. I agree with you completely on the bombing memorial, it's a moving thing - all of it. Do you plan on moving here sometime? I ask because of your username. Come back soon!

[Kerry]

Mistake Number 1: Going to WalMart.

As for the married women - just wait 2 years. They will be back on the market.

Shop at Target for now on. There are no People of Target website. Although, if there was it would be full of pictures of attractive women and well dressed men.

Target might be missing a marketing opportunity here.

[td25er]

It is funny how we can't say bad things about people's race, religion, national origin, sexual preference, etc. in this country, but if they struggle with weight problems we can be creeped out by them, ridicule them, bully them, and discriminate against them in the workplace. People in the U.S. talk about "tolerance" all of the time, but we can't tolerate fat people. It may cause insurance rates to go up. Oh, I know, fat people can do something about it, but it is getting to the point in this country that it is more socially acceptable to be an alcoholic or a drug addict than it is to be overweight. If a person has been to alcohol or drug treatment, they can claim to have a disability. Doctors refer to alcoholism and drug addiction as a disease. Overweight people can not claim obesity in itself as a disability unless they have an obesity related illness that has created a disability. Obese people are labled as undisciplined, lazy, and weak. I know obese people that have contributed much more to society and have been more productive than so called "normal, healthy" people.

Saying Oklahoma City has too many overweight and obese people is like going to San Francisco and saying there are too many homosexuals, bi-sexuals, and transgendered people. There a lot of genetic, physiological, social, family, economic, and other influences on why people are overweight. We have allowed Hollywood and the media to create unrealistic expectations of health and beauty in this country. I had a high school classmate that was beautiful die of anorexia in her thirties leaving behind two children and a husband. Her case was reported on in the Oklahoman. I am all for fighting obesity, but doing it with ridicule, social exclusion, and workplace discrimination is not the solution. Fight obesity, not the obese.

Bigray in Ok

Obese people do cause insurance rates to spike. They do have a disease, which is being undisciplined, lazy, and weak. The overwhelming majority of obese people could do something about it if they educated themselves about proper nutrition, resistance training, and cardio. They are either too lazy or are mentally weak.

Some of these parents cause their children to be obese too. This is child abuse and they should be in prison. Of course that will never happen b/c the obese will soon overtake the U.S.

[Achilleslastand]

Gotta love the 300lbers taking up handicap spots as well.

[skyrick]

As for the married women - just wait 2 years. They will be back on the market.[/I]

Lol!

[Pete]

As more and more people in this country are overweight and even obese, these types of discussions will really start to rage. Especially since heavy kids turn into even heavier adults, and heavy adults create a big burden on our healthcare system.

Far and away, obesity is cultural... Far more prevalent in some areas of the country than others and far more prevalent in the U.S. than in other countries. Simply put, unless you are blessed with unusual metabolism, it's a constant fight NOT to be overweight in this country. Almost no one gets exercise in their job and natural course of living -- and fatty, high-calorie foods are cheap and convenient.

Having said all that, the situation in Oklahoma is obviously worse than in most places and the fact that might strike people visiting the state for the first time shouldn't be surprising to anyone.