Mailman Meme

[ashtonlp101]

So I always hear the "angry mailman" meme for NV. While I understand that it's (mostly) just a meme to poke fun at, if you think about it being a courier in the wasteland requires a really immense amount of competence. You're by yourself delivering high value packages across not just one little world space that you see in game, but across half the country. In dialogue the player can reveal that they have been to Montana, Utah, California, and probably more places that I haven't thought/heard of the player being. It's hard enough for the caravans of 4+ people to walk through the long 15 or through the Mojave without getting obliterated so imagine being one dude traveling lightly (because I doubt a courier would haul a pack Brahmin with him/her) through incredibly dangerous areas like Utah. In fact, that is likely the reason why in Vanilla NV we never actually see a legit living breathing courier other than Ulysses and ourself - because the job requires a high tolerance for wasteland danger. So I'm probably overthinking a simple meme that is just made to make the game seem goofy but I legit think a wasteland courier is probably one of the most difficult and badass jobs you can get yourself involved with in the Fallout universe.

[Radioactivelad]

Yeah, the Courier was implied to be a bit of a badass. Not quite the Terminator they end up being by the end of New Vegas and its DLCs, but a seasoned walker of the wasteland.

 

It's also worth mentioning that in classic TTRPG/Crpg terms, "Level 1" still represents a marked step above the common peasant.

This is represented in the TES series (and behind-the-scenes in bethesda-era fallout) with NPC-only classes that all have terrible stats and skillsets compared to a proper class; Stuff like Drunk, Pauper, and Prostitute.

Edited April 5, 2020 by Radioactivelad

[PahBeer]

Yeah, you are overthinking.
It's a meme.
It's a joke.
I would start a rant about how this is the same if someone watched Monty Python Grannies Gang sketch and started seriously arguing the logistic and possibilities of grannies becoming an organized crime menace to society, but considering this is exactly what people do with any kind of joke or expression of humor nowdays,

I'll just say yeah, you're right. If talking seriously, nobody can doubt that a post-nuclear "mailman" is one tough profession to be in. And it used to be quite so in the real life America too, in the frontier days.