First you steal our Sonics and now our elephants!

[CuatrodeMayo]

Woodland Park Zoo Blog: Bamboo and Chai to join Oklahoma City Zoo elephant family

[OkieNate]

Woodland Park Zoo Blog: Bamboo and Chai to join Oklahoma City Zoo elephant family

Don't forget we are working on Boeing too

[TU 'cane]

I'm kinda over Seattle and their citizens. I don't know that I can say I've conversed with a more hostile and smug group of people than Seattleites.
To them Seattle is Mecca, and that's great, not going to argue with them. But they spew a hatred toward the entire state of Oklahoma and us Okies over the SuperSonics... They don't evoke this type of hatred towards the owners, but to us common citizens as if it's all our fault.

But then, when you think you've gotten through to one of them in regard to the NBA situation, they'll admit "we were mad at Schultz and our city leaders! We admit that! BUT, BUT, BUT, BUT, you OKIES! Arahrjaeherjagerheahk!"

Again, I've tried time and time again to talk to so many of them but as soon as they hear where I'm from they attempt to chew me up and spit me out and throw me to the curb with the day's garbage. They're smug, arrogant, pompous people who have a severe case of West Coast Syndrome (nothing outside of CA, WA, and OR exist... it's just rednecks and woods beyond the eastern borders).

Pardon me for being a little rash, and certainly nothing personal against anyone here who might be living there or moved from there, has family, etc. but this is the mindset I've developed since 2008 in regard to them. They hate me and my state for it's name, nothing else. And I say shame on them for that.

Now, ending that rant, what does all that have to do with the elephants? Well, are we that naive to think that this roaring protest from the whole city of Seattle would come if the elephants were being moved to a zoo of similar quality anywhere else? I've got $10 in my pocket that says they're raising cane because they saw "Oklahoma City."

Newsflash Seattle: Your own zoo, which is highly touted, narrowed the options down to TWO, count TWO viable options that met or SURPASSED their own criteria for a better environment (than their current one, ahem, in Seattle). OKC edged out the other option due to the amount of space the elephants would have when compared, if I read what I did correctly.

But, I get it. They need to be placed in a sanctuary, sure. I'm not going to get into a zoo argument, it is what it is. But these protests and bad mouthing of my state and my capital city comes from a silly old hate from a freakin' basketball team. GET OVER IT.

[CuatrodeMayo]

There are a few people here who might fit the above description, but for the vast majority this is an extreme mischaracterization. I'm sorry you feel that way.

[CaptDave]

Maybe the project that was going to make Dallas and KC jealous is we were moving the Space Needle to OKC too!! Muh ha ha ha ......

[Oh GAWD the Smell!]

I'm kinda over Seattle and their citizens. I don't know that I can say I've conversed with a more hostile and smug group of people than Seattleites.
To them Seattle is Mecca, and that's great, not going to argue with them. But they spew a hatred toward the entire state of Oklahoma and us Okies over the SuperSonics... They don't evoke this type of hatred towards the owners, but to us common citizens as if it's all our fault.

But then, when you think you've gotten through to one of them in regard to the NBA situation, they'll admit "we were mad at Schultz and our city leaders! We admit that! BUT, BUT, BUT, BUT, you OKIES! Arahrjaeherjagerheahk!"

Again, I've tried time and time again to talk to so many of them but as soon as they hear where I'm from they attempt to chew me up and spit me out and throw me to the curb with the day's garbage. They're smug, arrogant, pompous people who have a severe case of West Coast Syndrome (nothing outside of CA, WA, and OR exist... it's just rednecks and woods beyond the eastern borders).

Pardon me for being a little rash, and certainly nothing personal against anyone here who might be living there or moved from there, has family, etc. but this is the mindset I've developed since 2008 in regard to them. They hate me and my state for it's name, nothing else. And I say shame on them for that.

Now, ending that rant, what does all that have to do with the elephants? Well, are we that naive to think that this roaring protest from the whole city of Seattle would come if the elephants were being moved to a zoo of similar quality anywhere else? I've got $10 in my pocket that says they're raising cane because they saw "Oklahoma City."

Newsflash Seattle: Your own zoo, which is highly touted, narrowed the options down to TWO, count TWO viable options that met or SURPASSED their own criteria for a better environment (than their current one, ahem, in Seattle). OKC edged out the other option due to the amount of space the elephants would have when compared, if I read what I did correctly.

But, I get it. They need to be placed in a sanctuary, sure. I'm not going to get into a zoo argument, it is what it is. But these protests and bad mouthing of my state and my capital city comes from a silly old hate from a freakin' basketball team. GET OVER IT.

Troll them.

Troll them hard.

Then be like "bye, gotta go to a basketball game, PEACE!!!"

[Teo9969]

I think we need to call Seattle up and ask them if they'll be our sister city.

[kevinpate]

Seattle and OKC are already sista cities. OKCista has taken several items from Sisattle's closet.

[gopokes88]

Don't forget we are working on Boeing too

This. Give it some time, but we'll keep prying away more and more. They clearly like doing business in OK

[TU 'cane]

There are a few people here who might fit the above description, but for the vast majority this is an extreme mischaracterization. I'm sorry you feel that way.

Yea, I know... It's like that any where, I kind of turned my whole argument over in light of what I was complaining about and need to acknowledge that. It's the same as some Seattle folks saying all of Oklahoma is a trailer park (which, many have).

Regardless, my olive branch is still waiting to anyone in Seattle who cares to take it. Since 2008, I can say only one person has done so and I've actually remained semi-friends with him online on various development forums. One guy out of many...

[TU 'cane]

I had an internal debate on whether to revive this thread and to continue the petty back and forth between OKC and Seattle. And the temptation won.
Any way, I hope to make this the last comment of mine in this thread, because as is the issue with the "OKC vs. Tulsa" nonsense, it thrives off being reinvigorated every so often.

Oklahoma City is our savvier nemesis | The Seattle Times

The comments, while I've seen worse, certainly shouldn't be reflective of Seattle as a whole... But there are seriously some smug people up there, and a couple apparent "locals" with some "Okie-guilt" putting on a show.

Again, I don't want to be compared to Seattle, because there's very little to compare to.
The history, the geography, the culture, it's all different. But, I will say, this only makes me cheer for OKC and it's developments even more as it continues to push down barriers on it's way to becoming a great urban area with much to showcase.

[ljbab728]

Steve's fun response to that article.

Oklahoma City, Seattle could give and take | NewsOK.com

[adaniel]

That was an interesting article. Against my better judgement I read the comments in the Seattle Times article and they were exactly what I expected.

While you should never judge an entire city based on comments sections (Lord I would hate to think what someone would think of Oklahoma if they read News 9 facebook feed), I must admit it lined up entirely with my experiences in Seattle a few years ago. In all my travels, there and Miami stick out in my mind as places I was treated terribly. Of course I expected Miami to be full of douches; Seattle was a genuine letdown.

I knew I was in trouble when the guy checking me in my hotel refused to make eye contact with me, and people in the bar next door would stare me down. It pretty much went downhill from there. Don't think I have ever been in a place with so much coldness from the people, and it came in a very passive aggressive form too.

It sucked because the city itself is stunning. But I have no plans to go back. For the longest I thought it was just in my head, but I learned about a year ago my friend that I had visited at the time has since moved. He basically said that people there were indeed lousy, and they even had a name for this phenomenon....the Seattle Freeze. This will probably get me in trouble since everyone on okc talk loooooves Seattle. And based on the scenery alone, I can see the appeal. But the people and overall culture just ruined it for me.

[Bellaboo]

Here's one for you. Back in about 2000 a co-worker of mine moved to Seattle. This guy was a very friendly open man and he took some kind of exercise class where everyone met on some lawn in a park. He said he walked up and their was some guy with an 'Oklahoma' shirt on. He told the guy that he was from Oklahoma and the man said 'so'. He also said that they refer to anyone from California as 'Californicators'......so be it.

[kevinpate]

Jerkwads ... be everywhere. Fortunately, there are only in the majority in small areas, including certain legislative chambers.

[Pete]

It's time to get the chip off our collective shoulders and stop feeding these flames of insecurity.

Why on earth should we care what a few people in Seattle think about OKC? What is this constant obsession with how the city and state are perceived?

I've said it before: Do you think Austin or Dallas or Houston spend a lot of time worrying about what people on the coasts think about Texas? About how they feel about yet another crackpot piece of legislation coming from nutty congressmen?


It's time to stop playing into this. Let people say and think what they want. It is human nature for one area/city to look down on another. That is never going to change; there will be haters looking to feel better about themselves. Stop empowering them!

If we were really secure in our accomplishments and where we are headed, we would merely brush off these silly columns and opinions with a collective, "Who cares? We've got a good thing going and they can stay where they are. We're too busy moving forward to worry about such nonsense."


If we really want to take the next step as a confident, progressive city we need to stop acting like we care so much about what every single person seems to think about us. It just makes us look pathetic instead of strong.

[White Peacock]

He also said that they refer to anyone from California as 'Californicators'......so be it.

The term originated in Oregon during the first big migration by Californians into Oregon, which wrecked the housing market and just threw a wrench into the good thing Oregonians had going there. Oregonians still don't care for Californians moving in, as a general sentiment. And they're moving there in droves even still. They have a tendency to ruin a good thing once any place becomes a popular relocation destination. People in Portland and Denver will be happy to fill you in.

[tfvc.org]

95, 96, 97 I started seeing SUVs with California plates in Denver. In the winter those 4x4s were in the ditch.

[bchris02]

Seattle is a beautiful city. It's progressive, desirable, and gets the "new urbanism" thing right. It has a place alongside Austin, Portland, and Denver as one of today's most trendy cities. Cities like OKC could learn a lot from Seattle.

Most of what you read in the comments sections of articles like that against OKC is political and religious in nature. Seattle is one of the most secular and progressive cities in the country while OKC is among the most conservative. Its a fact of life that some people there have a superiority complex and even a downright hatred for red state America, especially outside the major cities. It's not limited to just OKC though. A lot of stones have been thrown at Indianapolis recently since they enacted that religious freedom law in Indiana. OKC's image isn't helped by the state legislature, but as much as I can't stand right-wing bigotry, the left-wing bigotry and coastal elitism can be just as ignorant. In the case of Seattle, there probably is still some added lingering anger over the situation with the Sonics.

The best thing OKC can do is to keep doing what it's doing. More national exposure will bring more people from out of state from all walks of life into the city. If people have a positive experience here, the image issue will continue to slowly change. This is a big reason the convention center is so important in my opinion.

[hoya]

^^^

I'd like this twice if I could.

[Snowman]

I had an internal debate on whether to revive this thread and to continue the petty back and forth between OKC and Seattle. And the temptation won.
Any way, I hope to make this the last comment of mine in this thread, because as is the issue with the "OKC vs. Tulsa" nonsense, it thrives off being reinvigorated every so often.

Oklahoma City is our savvier nemesis | The Seattle Times

The comments, while I've seen worse, certainly shouldn't be reflective of Seattle as a whole... But there are seriously some smug people up there, and a couple apparent "locals" with some "Okie-guilt" putting on a show.

Again, I don't want to be compared to Seattle, because there's very little to compare to.
The history, the geography, the culture, it's all different. But, I will say, this only makes me cheer for OKC and it's developments even more as it continues to push down barriers on it's way to becoming a great urban area with much to showcase.

One of the funniest video comments I saw about the Sonics leaving was the most hillbilly guy I have ever seen calling us rednecks.

[bradh]

My experience in Seattle was somewhere between adaniel and what Sid describes. Most people when they found we were Okies would initially give us some crap over the Thunder but it usually ended there. The cities are great in their own ways. I would absolutely go back again (mostly for the food, and the Boeing museum).

[Urbanized]

Seattle is great, and for the most part the people are fine. Portland is 100x better and the people there (and in Oregon, in general) are the closest I've ever seen to Okies on the friendliness scale.

The people difference between the two cities is roughly the same as Dallas vs OKC, with Seattle playing the Dallas role. Just like people in Dallas, Seattleites are generally nice, but with a tendency to be a bit highfalutin and full of themselves. In Portland they're mostly just nice. Unless you're from California, in which case you can go **** yourself.

[catch22]

Seattle is great, and for the most part the people are fine. Portland is 100x better and the people there (And in Oregon, in general) are the closest I've ever seen to Okies on the friendliness scale.

The people difference between the two cities is roughly the same as Dallas vs OKC, with Seattle playing the Dallas role. Just like people in Dallas, Seattleites are generally nice, but with a tendency to be a bit highfalutin and full of themselves. In Portland they're mostly just nice. Unless you're from California, in which case you can go **** yourself.

Yes the people in Portland are very genuinely friendly. They are also remarkably well educated.

[Urbanized]

Catch, I'll give you an Oregon joke to use when you get up there. It will endear you to your new neighbors, most of whom will roar with laughter and inexplicably have never heard the joke. Here it is:

Three riders were crossing the high plains together on horseback, when they made camp for the night. Under the stars, they sat around the fire telling tales, laughing and drinking. One was from Texas, one from California, one from Oregon. The Texan reached into his saddlebag, grabbed an expensive bottle of tequila. He yanked out the stopper, took a couple of good pulls on it, then he stood up and tossed the still mostly-full bottle into the air, drew his revolver and - BAM!! - shot it from the sky, causing shards of glass and brown liquid to rain down. He then returned to his place by the fire.

His fellow campers were a bit shocked. Finally the Californian asked, "why did you do that? That was a waste of a great bottle of hooch!"

The Texan pulled another tequila bottle from his bag and said, "partner, there's plenty of tequila where I'm from." The other campers thought about it, and realized he was probably right.

After a while, the Californian pulled a bottle of fine California wine out of HIS saddlebag. He fussed for a minute with a corkscrew, then poured himself a glass, let it breathe, then drank the glass slowly. When he was finished, he reached for the bottle. But instead of pouring another glass, he stood up, launched the bottle into the air, and then HE pulled a gun, and shot the wine bottle out of the air.

The Oregonian, recognizing that it had been a great wine and special vintage, asked, "why did you blast that almost full bottle? That was a great wine!"

The Californian, pulling an even more rare wine from his bag, said "don't sweat it, there is a TON of great wine where I come from."

Things quieted down for a bit, but after a while the Oregonian pulled a fresh bottle of cold craft beer from the ice in his saddlebag. He popped the top, and lovingly drank every drop. He even tipped the bottle on end and shook the last couple of drops onto his tongue. Then he stood up, walked about fifteen feet away, and set the bottle gently onto a rock. He walked back to the campfire. Then he drew his gun, turned...and then shot the Californian dead, right between the eyes.

The Texan, horrified, scrambled to his feet and screamed "HOLY CRAP!! Why did you just shoot him?! WE only shot bottles!"

The Oregonian said calmly, "hell, man, there are LOTS of Californians where I come from. Besides, there's a five cent return on that bottle."

Catch, if that doesn't make you friends in your new hometown I'll eat my hat. Just make sure you're telling it to native Oregonians, not the California transplants that make up half of the population in Oregon these days.