To hear some political pundits tell it, Dante de Blasio’s Afro changed the course of the mayoral election. As his dad, Bill, shot up in the polls following Dante’s memorable campaign ad, it even got an official hashtag: #Fromentum. With his father in position to become the Democratic candidate for mayor as soon as tonight, Dante and his mixed-race family have become some of the most recognizable New Yorkers of the moment, and Gracie Mansion could be next.
You’d think Dante, who just turned 16, would have instantly become the most popular kid in school. But as the first day of class let out yesterday afternoon, we conducted our version of a high-school exit poll outside Brooklyn Tech in Fort Greene to take the temperature of Dante’s classmates. Despite that unmistakable silhouette and what the old-person Internet would have you believe, no one under the age of 18 really knows who the guy — or his dad — is.
“I went to middle school with him.”
[His dad’s running for mayor.]
“Never even knew that.”
“He was in my class last year.”
[Would you say he’s famous?]
“No!”
“He was in my class last year. He’s really smart.”
“I am Dante de Blasio!” [No, you’re not.]
“He’s in this school?! Are you serious?! That’s pretty cool.”
“What is that, a movie?”
“He’s running for mayor, and he goes to our school?”
“There are a lot of kids in Tech.”
“And a lot of them are tall.”
“It’s a big school, so … ”
“No idea who he is.”
“I really don’t know who he is.”
“I don’t know who that is.”
“Is he cute?”
