What do folks of regions call themselves?

[Kaleon Moonshae]

Oklahoma needs a distinction. Sooner refers to a football team now. There are many oklahomans (or okies, either is accepted) that would have a huge beef with being called a sooner (which historically is an insult anyway). I am one of them, so I wouldn't say that that is a universal name we call ourselves. Most okies I know call themselves okies. If you wish to know why some of us have issues with sooner outside of the football team (I went ot Oklahoma State) then you can do some research on the term (it's fairly interesting reading some of the time). A sooner is someone who broke the rules of the landrun and snuck into oklahoma before the actual run to stake out land. They were dishonest and nothing better than thieves that took the prime property from people who obeyed the rules. I never understood why we allowed ourselves to be called the sooner state.

 

[Dogbrain]

There are many oklahomans (or okies, either is accepted) that would have a huge beef with being called a sooner (which historically is an insult anyway).

"Okie" is also an insult. It arose during the time you could see okies wandering around the USA in the 1930s, fleeing the Dustbowl. It's pretty much synonymous with "white trash" in some parts east of the Mississippi.

So, if you get hung up on the "meaning" of sooner, you should also reject "okie".

 

[Kaleon Moonshae]

"Okie" is also an insult. It arose during the time you could see okies wandering around the USA in the 1930s, fleeing the Dustbowl. It's pretty much synonymous with "white trash" in some parts east of the Mississippi.

So, if you get hung up on the "meaning" of sooner, you should also reject "okie".

Actually go back further. Okie was not originally an insult. The reason why it was changed into one is because the people wandering during the dust bowl called *themselves* okies. The term okie goes back much further than 1930. Sorry to nitpick, but it was not an insult originally, sooner was. My great grandmother called herself an okie back in the late 1800s, as did most of the people around where she lived in oklahoma. Okie is simply a shortening of Oklahoma, also caused by the fact that many people originally pronounced is "okihoma" when they first came here trying to copy the sound of the indian word.

 

[Ampolitor]

New York

New York = New Yorker, How You Doing?

 

[ArcOfCorinth]

Alabaman here.

 

[tarchon]

Phoenix = Phoenician

 

[Prince of Happiness]

Washington state - Washingtonians.

Heh! Born and raised in Washington, so...Californian.

Washingtonian, Seattlite.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Not just restricted to Merkins, right? Anyone can play?

New Zealanders go by that, or by 'Kiwi'.

I've been an Aucklander for over 15 years now (we don't go by JAFA, ourselves, though you'll hear it applied to us by people from down-country), but I was born a Cantabrian...

-Hyp.

 

[d4]

Iowa: Iowan

so if you were petrified, would you then be an "Iowan Stone"?



i moved here to New Jersey almost 3 years ago, and i still have no idea what you call us. New Jerseyian? New Jerseyite? i don't think i've ever heard anyone use any kind of term like that...

wait, i've got it... Italian American! "Wanna make sumthin' of it?"

 

[Richards]

North Dakota = North Dakotans, but when I was stationed there we used to refer to ourselves as "Nodaks." (Also: "Dak-Rats," but that was probably just a military thing.)

Johnathan