Pronunciation ChallengeHow Superman Busted the KKK

[Transcript]

Hey folks, it’s Ken here. I’m sure you’ve all watched superhero movies before or read comic books about heroes versus villains. We love to see how heroes defeat bad guys because it brings us hope, though superpowers don’t really exist in real life. But have you seen a superhero fight against a real-life antagonist figure? Like a real person or an actual group.

Back in 1946, when radio was the king of household entertainment, the producers of the radio show, on a very bold gambit, decided Superman would take on real-life hate groups. At that time, a journalist by the name of Stetson Kennedy infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan (or the KKK) for the Anti-Defamation League, he wanted to melt the cultural glue that held the clan together. The creators of "The Adventures of Superman" used Kennedy's research to produce a 16-part series for Superman called "The Clan of the Fiery Cross". And that’s how Clark Kent met with his new rival.

The Ku Klux Klan is an American white supremacist terrorist hate group whose primary targets are African Americans as well as Jews, immigrants, leftists, homosexuals, Catholics, Muslims, and atheists. The Klan formed after the Civil War ended in 1865. Its purpose was to frighten newly freed African Americans and to take away their rights. By the 1990s the Klan had broken up into small groups, mostly in the Southern states. They can still be seen wearing white masks nowadays, especially in civil rights movements such as the Black Lives Matter movement.

Luckily, now we have tons of superheroes, from Marvel to DC, take your pick, the KKK won’t stand a chance facing these badasses. My favorite superhero has gotta be Spider Man. I love how he travels through the city with his web-slinging skills; and for anime, Son-Goku from Dragon Ball Z is definitely my favorite, because no one’s stronger than him, no one. Who’s your favorite superhero? Leave a comment down below.

[Sentence of the day]

The producers of the radio show, on a very bold gambit, decided Superman would take on real-life hate groups.

[Vocabulary]

1. producer
a person who makes the practical and financial arrangements needed to make a film, play, or television or radio program

Ex: Brad Pitt is the producer of the Oscar-winning film, Minari.

2. bold
not afraid of danger
Ex: She was a bold and fearless climber.

3. gambit
a clever action in a game or other situation that is intended to achieve an advantage and usually involves taking a risk

Ex: Her clever opening gambit gave her an early advantage in the chess game.

* Folks, there’s a popular TV series called Queen’s Gambit, which tells the story of a chess prodigy. I really enjoyed it, you can watch it on Netflix, hope you like it.


[Epilogue]

Alright, and that’s all the time we have for today.
Aside from the KKK,
What other real-life villains or antagonists would you like to see in superhero movies and comics?
Leave a comment down below.
This is Ken Miao, and I’ll see you guys again next week.
Bye!

The producers of the radio show, on a very bold gambit, decided Superman would take on real-life hate groups.