Ethnic Composition of D.C. (and Capital Wasteland)

Silencer

Night Watchman
Staff member
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It occured to me that according to the 2005 Census, 57% of Washington, D.C. residents are blacks. Now, I don't have the 1950s data, and I won't go extrapolating this into a 2070's retrofuture to base my expectations for a Fallout Great Wartime D.C., but clearly we're looking at something different than California, which is something around 12% African American ratio, if I'm not mistaken.

Do you think this will have any bearing on the game's NPCs? Will we be seeing more African American faces over there? Sheriff Simms seems to say yes.

Also, what should it look like if we apply the Falllout-world history? Were African Americans a majority in D.C. in 1950s too (I know this ratio peaked around the 1970s)? Furthermore, would they be likely to be the ones tht reached the relative safety of large underground Vaults to survive the bombings (remember, retro-racist-fifties!)?

Lastly, I'm a bit curious: What was the real-world reason for this ethnic composition forming? Was it that D.C. had a special legal status and could accomodate freed/escaped slaves more easily in the XIX century than the actual States?
 
Silencer said:
Furthermore, would they be likely to be the ones tht reached the relative safety of large underground Vaults to survive the bombings (remember, retro-racist-fifties!)?
It's hard to say, because Fallout seemed to avoid inside human race racial issues altogether.
 
I guess that's because it pitted Supermutants against normies and primes against wastelanders, so in face of that a petty squabble over the colour of ones skin was laughable.

Also, I don't think the Den Slave Guild discriminated against that.

I don't quite think all this an important issue, but if one was to make the setting all the way plausible, I would expect to see some shift.
 
Considering their origins in Washington D.C., I wouldn't be surprised to see some sort of nod, or presence of the Black Panthers somehow.
 
Silencer said:
I guess that's because it pitted Supermutants against normies and primes against wastelanders, so in face of that a petty squabble over the colour of ones skin was laughable.

Also, I don't think the Den Slave Guild discriminated against that.

I don't quite think all this an important issue, but if one was to make the setting all the way plausible, I would expect to see some shift.

Remember that the more "civilized" wastelanders tended to have prejudices against the tribals. And unless the PC ran around with obvious tribal jewelry they probably based their identification of tribals on the same things most people base races or at least nationality on today.

Maybe the tribals VS the "civilized" is more of an example of conflicting cultures and societies and not of racism but im unsure.
 
Not the actual Black Panthers, I was saying if we'd see any sort of racial issues going on besides stuff like Super Mutants and stuff, I wouldn't be surprised to see something somewhat similar.
 
Siley said:
Lastly, I'm a bit curious: What was the real-world reason for this ethnic composition forming? Was it that D.C. had a special legal status and could accomodate freed/escaped slaves more easily in the XIX century than the actual States?

Wikipedia said:
Washington remained a small city — the 1860 Census put the population at just over 75,000 people — until the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861. The significant expansion of the federal government to administer the war and its legacies such as veterans' pensions led to notable growth in the city's population, as did a large influx of freed slaves. By 1870, the District population had grown to nearly 132,000.
 
Hotel California said:
Also, I don't think the Den Slave Guild discriminated against that.

If I remember correctly every single one of the slavers guild was the basic Leather Armour guy - which is to say white...

Which could simply have been a technological limitation, no? There weren't very many black models in the game, anyway.
 
From what I recall, there are many ghetto's in DC where lots of black folks live and this city has big crime ratio. Dunno why, though.
 
Stag said:
Hotel California said:
Also, I don't think the Den Slave Guild discriminated against that.

If I remember correctly every single one of the slavers guild was the basic Leather Armour guy - which is to say white...

Which could simply have been a technological limitation, no? There weren't very many black models in the game, anyway.

Ah thats bolsch. There were plenty of different models...

There isn't really any racial issues here, or in most parts of FO2 - the two gangs in the Den both had their black guys and there are plenty of important black characters running big important things: Lynette, The Sheriff in Redding, Mayor Ascorti...
 
I'm pretty sure there are only black guys in vault suits, metal armor and the red shirt 'civilians' (like Jo in Modoc).
Lynette doesn't really count since she's unique.
Come to think of it, I have no recollection of any black females apart from her. Tandi's head was, but not her model.

I'm not saying there really is an issue, just pointing out that it's the same 2½ models used over and over again.
 
Certainly not 1 in 10, is it? I don't know. It doesn't really matter.

What does matter, what my point is, is this: Bethesda doesn't care about black people.
 
Tandi was black? I thought she was just very dark-tanned?

Then again, what do I know. Us Germans are pretty damn ignorant about who is what.
 
Wooz said:
*snip wikipaste*

I kno', Woozy, although the question is "Why did the slaves go to Washington out of all places?".

Hotel California said:
Also, I don't think the Den Slave Guild discriminated against that.

If I remember correctly every single one of the slavers guild was the basic Leather Armour guy - which is to say white...

He meant when *catching* slaves ;)
 
Mikael Grizzly said:
Tandi was of Indian (not Native American, Indian) descent, she wasn't black.
Indians aren't black?
Most I've seen look more african than middle-eastern or asian.
I've only been to southern India though and I imagine it could be different in the north.
Also, eye of the beholder and all that.
 
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