Something that has weighed heavily on me for a long time is the rural/urban divide our state has long experienced. Rural Oklahoma is not homogenous. It is not filled only with racist, sexist bigots. It is not filled with only people that hate cities, democrats, liberals, etc. 1/x
I grew up in Murray Co. (a county that has a racist namesake). My entire family mostly lives outside of any metro areas. This was my worldview for the first two decades of my life. I am a liberal feminist Democrat. I wasn't the only one - not in my family or my circles. 2/x
I will never be one to defend the racist, sexist, classist, generally small-minded & dangerous groupthink that can go on in small towns. I will however always be the voice to say not everyone has the luxury or privilege of getting out. 3/x
Small towns have similar problems to inner-city areas: lack of access to healthcare, substance abuse, generational poverty, high rates of abuse. Lack of jobs, good employers, lack of funding for education, or options for higher education. These are systematic. Generational. 4/x
I am deeply privileged in most areas of my existence. I was able to get out only because my parents did. Being born not in rural areas is a privilege. Being able to leave is a privilege. 5/x
We have entire swaths of our state that have no mental healthcare access, no domestic violence shelter, no higher education. We have adults who do not have the ability to change this for their immediate family, and children who have ZERO control of what ZIP code they live in. 6/x
So - yes, #SQ802 passed largely because urban areas voted in favor, however, y'all need to stop with the joking, the elitism, the classism, the self-important thinking that just because you live in an urban or suburban area you are a superior individual. You have privilege. 7/x
When people know better, they do better. As someone with privilege, it is my obligation as not a shitty person to do what I can to lift up other people. Educate them. Help them. Empower them. Making people feel little, stupid, or otherwise bad is missing the entire point. 8/x
So yes, urban voters - it IS our responsibility to help other areas in our state that would benefit the most from things like #SQ802. What is good for the least of us is good for all of us--this isn't a zero-sum game. 9/x
Wrapping this up my big point is this: empathy is the way forward. Empowering people is the way forward. Sharing the mic, and letting people speak for themselves is the way forward. 10/x
Belittling, blaming, calling names isn't the way forward. This isn't comfortable or easy, if it was it would've been done. This applies to a lot of situations, but this is one I've lived my entire life. Rural Okla. will always have my heart, but OKC has my mind,& that's OK. 11/11
