Why is America’s caste system so intractable? It is because of the deep connection between racial
stereotyping and gluttony in the United States. The video combines six film clips from forgotten Hollywood
movies that engage the issue of passing, a video documentation of my video installation Cornered
(1988), and a paper excerpted from my manuscript in progress, Recognition and Responsibility: The
Presence of the Past in Germany, Australia and the United States, that was delivered and discussed
with the audience at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin in November 2004. This video premieres at the
IHME Contemporary Art Festival, Helsinki in April 2014 during the IHME Days. It presents my considered
analysis of American racism, and documents the last time I intend to speak publicly about it.