[asdff]

I had a different feeling. It wasn't empty in the sense that the desert is, which is very pleasant and beautiful, but scarred with industrialized agriculture, and silos stretching out into the infinite surrounding. The fact that there was absolutely nothing at all as far as the eye can see, no mountain or woods, just field upon industrial field with no farm house or town in sight, felt extremely isolating and uncomfortable. A feeling of having no bearings, no difference in any direction; no idea where to run.

The small towns felt disturbing. Tulsa felt disturbing. The lack of minorities out in public was painfully glaring. It was all so very patriotic and dystopian. The unsettling overbearing flatness on the featureless terrain dominated my perspective of the area. Not for me, and I couldn't leave soon enough.

[phaedrus]

There's a big difference between Eastern Oklahoma and Western Oklahoma.

GP's description sounds like Eastern Oklahoma which is more similar in landscape and vegetation to places in Arkansas and Missouri like the Ozarks.

Your description sounds like Western Oklahoma. I lived there from age 12 to 20 and yes it's exactly as you describe, getting worse the farther West you go in the state. Dystopian agriculture.

Although Tulsa is east of OKC, I would put the dividing line between the East/West change in landscape around the Tulsa area.

[throwaway20148]

While the agriculture may feel dystopic, there really wasn’t ever much west of the cross timbers to begin with.

The dividing line you describe is the area between the 98th and 100th meridian.

[crispyporkbites]

> The lack of minorities out in public was painfully glaring.

What does this mean?

[tropdrop]

My own experience: having had a good portion of my childhood (after immigration) in a Rocky Mountain West state, I moved to Chicago for school. The first time I came back to visit for Christmas, I was blown away by how white the area was, and that I had never noticed before! Suddenly all of the childhood struggles I had with people quietly judging me fell into place (little things: assuming promiscuity, passing me over for a leadership position for someone less qualified, etc). That Christmas, the only person of color I saw was the guy behind the grocery's store's sushi counter, who was - wait for it, Japanese. It left me deeply disturbed, excited to come back to Chicago and excited to leave that state permanently.

[justnotworthit]

Poster was amazed and disturbed by everyone being white.