10 Okies from Muskogee

But the messages have endured: 

1. Men and women should follow strict gender norms.

2. Obey authority without question

3. Support every government policy without question

4. Sex is only for married heterosexual couples. 

Haggard was actually born in California, but his parents were Okies,-- refugees from the 1930s Dust Bowl.  He chose "Muskogee" just because of the rhyme.

Whether deserved or not,  Muskogee, population 39,000, has become emblematic of a certain type of person who refuses to protest injustice because he sees no injustice.  Racism, sexism, classism, and homophobia are perfectly justified, the way life is, the way life should be.

Muskogee has one of the highest poverty levels, and one of the highest crime rates, in the U.S.  News reports: "Muskogee man charged with attacking teen"; "Muskogee man convicted of killing two Oklahomans; "Two brothers from Muskogee shot in Tulsa"

  It has no gay bars, no gay organizations, and only one welcoming church, Grace Episcopal. There isn't even a gay-straight alliance at the high school.

The main tourist draw is the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame, a tiny building, formerly the Frisco Freight Company, which commemorates such country western stars as Merle Haggard, Woody Guthrie, Patti Page, Gene Autry, and -- well, that's all I've heard of.

It's the home of Bacone College, an "Indian University" with a B.A. degree in Tribal Languages (applied linguistics, curriculum develop, teaching methods, not any specific language).



Is there any beefcake potential in the "Okie from Muskogee" central?

1. Quite a lot of swimmers from Muskogie.




















2. Caleb from Muskogee.






















3. A selfie from Muskogee.


















4. A wrestler from...Fort Gibson, a town next door.























5. Ok, this wrestler is from Muskogee.  The team is name dthe Roughers.

More after the break





















6.  18% of the population of Muskogee is African-American, and 16% Native American.
















7. Muskogee bodybuilders.


















8. A shirtless car wash, a Midwestern tradition.


















9.  I don't know what this guy's connection to Muskogee is.















10. Checotah, about 20 miles away, is the steer wrestling capital of the world.  Lots of old-time cowboys present, like three generations of Duvalls.






















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