Nate Hill: 'The White Ambassador' Takes Whiteface to Harlem-Video

Nate Hill: Whiteface to Point Out Racism

New York's Nate Hill took to the streets of Harlem in whiteface in attempt to convince locals that "white people don't smell bad". His sojourn was recorded on video, and so we get to see what could have ended up as a hollow stunt turn into a real (and interesting) conversation about racism, double-standards, and perspective.

Nate Hill also points out that exploring the entire spectrum of racism was too vague to draw meaningful attention: painting himself white and walking around in Harlem was a way to get New Yorkers to engage with him.

The video is below: it starts out funny and turns fascinating. As we watch we wonder, is Nate preaching to the choir here? A black man in NYC is far more likely to be aware of racism than a white man. This is pretty much true anywhere in America, surely.

It also raises the question of how one really breaks down race-based stereotypes in a meaningful way. At the moment, it seems as if we accept "the other" based on how much like us he or she is. That isn't really solving the problem.

I'm beginning to suspect that Nate Hill is something of a real-life Tyler Durden: he's the artist behind Punch Me Panda and Death Bear, projects that allowed humanity to infiltrate mass society.

• Punch Me Panda: Hit an Endangered Species for a Penny
• Death Bear: Get Over Your Ex for Valentine's Day
  

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The White Ambassador

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sourced by NowPublic Staff