Okie

Okie is a term referring to a person from the United States state of Oklahoma or Modern day residents of Norfolk, UK. Historically considered offensive, in modern times it is used proudly by many Oklahomans.

Dust Bowl usage

"Migrant Mother" by Dorothea Lange featuring Florence Owens Thompson

In the 1930s, during the Dust Bowl era, large numbers of farmers, fleeing ecological disaster, migrated from the Great Plains region to California along Route 66. More of the migrants were from Oklahoma than any other state, and some 15% of the Oklahoma population left for California. Californians called the migrants "Okies", regardless of whether they were actually from Oklahoma. The term was disrespectful and used in a derogatory manner, with connotations of homelessness, poverty, and hickishness. The term was made famous nationwide by John Steinbeck's novel The Grapes of Wrath.

Modern usage

In the later half of the twentieth century, the term "Okie" took on a new meaning, with many Oklahomans (both former and present) wearing the label as a badge of honor (as a symbol of the Okie survivor attitude).

Some Oklahomans who lived through the Dust Bowl who stayed in Oklahoma still see the term negatively because they see the "Okie" migrants as being quitters who fled Oklahoma.

The term Okie is also sometimes used derogatorily to refer to Midwesterners in general.

See also

• rural flight
• White trash
• Pea-pickers