When Superman fought the KKK

Every now and again I stumble onto a person or fact I cannot believe I did not know before. It is always an awkward moment when the realization slaps the old brain. The sensation is equal parts indignant shock and little kid yelling, “AWESOME!” I was recently skipping through cable channels when I landed on the last minutes of a program on the American Hero Channel entitled How Superman Defeated the KKK.

“Excuse the hades out of me but what the what?!”

I watched its last seven minutes baffled by my complete lack of knowledge on the show’s subject. How could I NOT know the first widespread public attack on the KKK involved The Man of Steel? More importantly, how had the mere mortal with Courage of Steel behind Big Blue’s actions, Mr. Stetson Kennedy, escaped me? I asked around to gauge if I alone was unaware of this historical event. I was not. In fact, no one on the mental list I quickly made of peers who might know did. Time to fix that.

Using popular media to expose a problem and influence the general public is second nature in our Connected Age. Twitter that protest! Blog that injustice! Record and upload that cute kitten falling asleep! That’s today. In the 1940’s this was still a radically new idea reserved mostly for print, but a growing electric giant was poised to share that stage The 1940 US census, for example, estimated that 82% of all households had a radio. This was the heyday President Roosevelt’s Fireside Chats, the Kraft (yes, that Kraft) Music Hall variety show, The Jack Benny Program and a host of other shows featuring everything from live radio drama to soap operas on NBC, ABC, and CBS among others. The later got a taste of the power of its medium a few years prior with Orson Wells’ infamous War of the Worlds broadcast. It was also a time when Superman filled fifteen minutes a day in the lives of hundreds of thousands of children and adults thanks to the fine people at Kellogg’s.

Enter Stetson Kennedy. He was a celebrated writer and collector of southern folklore who by 1942 (age 25 I think) decided to apply his talent for observation and data collection to his interest in human rights and the continued discrimination against African Americans in the south. Here’s where he sets the bar for commitment. He decided on his own to infiltrate the then powerful KKK. For almost three years he attended meetings, rallies, and gained the trust of members of this very secretive group. Secrecy is a powerful tool and weapon. No one outside the organization knew if the local sheriff, doctor, or school teacher was a Clan member, and that created a parlaying fear for its victims. Whom could you trust? Whom could you turn to? Stetson made this secrecy his target. By 1946 he had cataloged names, practices, ritual origins, passwords, discarded paperwork and financial records, or anything else he could use to dispel the Clan’s mystique and shed light on their operations. He took the information and contacted several people who could use it, including the writers of the daily Superman radio drama. The result was a sixteen episode story arc called the Clan of the Fiery Cross. Adults listened and talked openly about the Clan as never before while children reduced them to a cheap comic book villain. The Clan protested the show and called for a boycott of Kellogg’s. Kellogg’s refused to pull their support. The KKK lost its national charter and never fully recovered. I am listening to it now and it is quite amazing.

Stetson’s life, or even this one segment in it, is far larger than the confines of a blog. I am so very tempted to add much more and fill in details like how he infiltrated them, stayed hidden, was eventually forced to flee to live a short time in France where he met Jean-Paul Sartre, and all the work he did for the rest of his long life. Clan members sent this man death threats until his passing at age 94. Think about that.

Some topics are too large for a blog and this is one of them. You need to research this. You need to delve into his life and make your own discoveries, conclusions, and, “wow” moments. He was not a perfect human. He did not work alone, but he did what he set out to do. He made a decision and followed through with it. I for one am glad he did.

Click on the YouTube link above to start listening for yourself!

Sources: My research was admittedly quick because I wanted to learn as much as I could as quickly in a short time knowing I will go back at my leisure. In no particular order I read articles on sites on Wikipedia, The New York Times, Stetson Kennedy.com, Dangerous minds.net, mentalfloss.com, discovery.com, and census.gov.

In the short term I plan on watching Drunk History’s episode on YouTube and the full American Heroes Channel program.

Wondering About Wonder Woman

 

Warner Brothers and DC are trying hard to make up for lost time and a much larger quality gap regarding the big screen adaptations of their characters. High hopes and MILLION$ of dollars are hanging on next year’s Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice film. A large chunk of the hype is not around the titular heroes however, but for a certain amazon whose fans for years have yearned to see in a movie. The portrayal of Wonder Woman will make or break this film for many. Me? I just want a GOOD MOVIE. Entertain me while keeping the story’s internal logic consistent and fleshing out solid characters and I will hand over my money. In that spirit I given you one of several openings I envision for the announced 2017 release of the Wonder Woman film. Enjoy!

Wonder Woman

by Sam Girdich

Fade In:

EXT. A LARGE CITY PARK ON A BRIGHT, SUNNY FALL AFTERNOON. A SERIES OF CUTS:

We see scenes of people, but sometimes the view becomes blurry. Couples read books, listen to music while sunning, or text who knows who while completely NOT interacting with the person right next to them. Parents play with children. Elderly couples walk hand in hand. The view finally becomes completely blurry.

CUT TO:

The shot changes to a very old man (ARTY). He is holding his thick glasses in one hand while rubbing his blue eyes with his other. His cane leans against his bench. We were watching the park and its users through his eyes. He is dressed in clean but old and slightly too large clothes showing he has had, and worn, these items for some time. With his glasses returned to his face he continues people watching. We now watch him watching others. A pattern emerges. He is watching couples or families while he sits all alone. He absentmindedly plays with his wedding ring the entire time but that action is NOT focused on. Let the Audience notice it or not. A tall person walks past him blocking his view for an instant. His attention captured, he turns toward the person.

CUT TO:

It is a woman. She is very tall, confident, and sporting long black hair. He watches her with some interest as she walks away without looking back. She looks familiar. She’s gone in a few seconds.

SFX:

Thud tink

CUT TO:

Arty looks down at the sound. A German, WWII era hand grenade (a potato masher) has just landed at his feet. No time to react. IT EXPLODES!

CUT TO:

The flash and bang pass, but the smoke does not. Someone in the smoke is coughing. A man screams in pain somewhere off screen. Suddenly a young US soldier circa WW II runs into view thinning the smoke. We are now in a dark forest in Germany. The solider is wearing a mobile communication pack. He drops behind a tree as gun fire and more explosions rock the area around him. Panicking he pulls his pack off and reaches for the receiver.

CUT TO CLOSE UP: The unit is damaged. The wires to the hand piece are split.

CUT TO:

He immediately sets to trying to repair the wires. He bites at the thick wire coating to expose a new length of wire. The explosions are getting louder. Soldiers run past him. He twists the two pieces of exposed wire together bridging the gap. A new mechanical sound reaches his ears.

CUT TO:

THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE TREE IS BEHIND

He slowly peaks around the tree.

CUT TO:

Arty’s POV. We see he is only yards in the forest. German tanks approach the tree line. He retreats behind the tree and tries the unit. Bullets fly past him.

CUT TO:

Arty makes a pitched plea.

ARTY:

Charlie Tango Echo. Repeat. Charlie Tango Echo. The Germans are pushing north toward the Luxembourg border. Repeat. This is Charlie Echo Tango. We are in full retreat requesting air support.

SFX: static

SFX:

KABOOM (tank shell lands nearby)

CUT TO:

Arty is hurled through the air. He lands on his own equipment.

CUT TO. OVERHEAD VIEW:

Arty is dazed and bleeding badly from his ears and nose. Several seconds pass. A large, blurry figure leans over him. He reaches for his gun half unconscious. A woman’s dirty, blood stained effortlessly hand pushes his arm down.

DIANA (VO)

Don’t move.

CUT TO. SIDE VIEW.

Diana inspects his injuries. Arty’s panicked eyes watch her every move.

DIANA

You are badly wounded and will likely die. (She speaks calmly and directly.)

Close your eyes. Find what peace you can. I will hold off the Germans while your men regroup.

CUT TO:

Arty stares, gasping for air, at this impossible person who just pronounced his death. She looks closer at him. He looks very young.

DIANA

Close your eyes. Think of your home.

CUT TO: ARTY’S POV

She stands and walks off. She was carrying a bloody sword in her other hand the entire time. She is dressed for battle. Arty watches her transfixed. She suddenly runs off toward the Germans far faster than any human can run. He follows her path, his life still draining. German soldiers fire at her. She blocks with her bracers easily deflecting some back toward the soldiers. She raises her sword and dives into them.

CUT TO: OVERHEAD VIEW

The view switches to Arty’s face. We see the shock in his eyes match the sound of her battle cries and screams of the Germans. She is literally tearing through them and we see it reflected in his face.

SFX

Screams and rending metal. (She can tear apart tanks, lest we forget.)

He looks away and skyward.

CUT TO: ARTY’S POV

It is a clear blue day. Blue just like his eyes. The sounds are fading, calming as his eyes close.

CUT TO: ARTY’S POV. MODERN DAY.

He blinks his eyes open. Several people are standing over him discussing what to do while one person calls 911.

SFX

Crowd words: Don’t move him. What happened? Don’t know. Heart attack? How should I know? Don’t move him.

Excuse me (VO)

CUT TO:

The crowd parts allowing the same woman Arty was watching to approach. It is Diana in civilian clothes. She looks him over and stops at his eyes. They look at each other for a second. She smiles.

DIANA

You can get up.

CUT TO:

She easily but carefully helps Arty back to his feet. A siren wails in the background. The bystanders walk away. She helps him back onto the bench.

ARTY

Where… have you been?

DIANA

I had to leave.

But I am back now.

CUT TO: CLOSE UP ON ARTY’S HANDS. THEY ARE SHAKING. SOMETHING IS VERY WRONG WITH HIM.

ARTY

Stay with me this time?

DIANA

You have my word.

FADE OUT

 

Is this fan fiction? Honestly, I have no idea. I don’t read her book, though I have sampled it over the years. I simply haven’t found a writer (yet) who brings that something to the character that hooks me. It is the same reason I don’t read Green Lantern. Both are awesome, long-lived and well-loved characters I’d like to read but don’t. I never read Daredevil, for example, until I found Ann Nocenti’s run. She brought a something to the book that blew me away. Maybe it is the lack of finding that something? If I know me, and I do, then I may be on to something there. I want more ‘Ann Nocenti moments’ in my comic reading life and Diana is one of several characters I want to experience that with. To me, she is dichotomy in motion. The most obvious being the warrior archetype and the healer archetype if I may fax philosophic. There are others, as well. In other words, she has conflicting natures within her (like you and I) that could be used to examine what it means to be human. Let me stop now before I re-hash the millions of words that have been spilled on the psychology of literary characters. I’m just saying I’ve always thought there was more to her character and if I can’t find what I am looking for then I will create it.

Looks like I answered my own question.

I said do it… or else.

As some of you may have heard, DC Comics kicked a hornet’s nest by hiring award winning science fiction writer, and Mormon, Orson Scott Card to pen a Superman tale in their upcoming Adventures of Superman digit-first series. The April debut of this non-continuity, on-line only series is getting lots and lots of press, but not the kind I’m sure DC was hoping for. Card is an outspoken supporter of a male-female only definition of marriage, and therefore has made comments over the years many in the homosexual community find very offensive. Card wrote an op-ed piece in the May 3^rd, 2012 Rhino Times lifted heavily from on a few sites I read. It’s not an outrageously long piece so I’m going to link here and let YOU read the whole piece (and not choice selections) to decide for yourself about the content. The bottom line of the on-line petitions is to fire him. The general logic is his anti-homosexual beliefs rule him out from being even remotely connected to the iconic Man of Steel. A character I feel compelled to point out is an alien and 101% heterosexual.

What none of the several articles I read mentioned was Card’s time at Marvel penning Ultimate Iron Man. I searched for a boycott of Marvel from Card’s time there, but didn’t find any. Full disclosure, I read through five pages of Google Search results, found nothing beyond the One Million Mom’s boycott attempt at Marvel (because some characters are gay), got bored, and stopped. Why wasn’t Marvel hit with this? Let’s expand this further. Card’s best-selling series Ender’s Game is slated for movie release this November from Summit Entertainment (a subsidiary of Lions Gate). Harrison Ford is in it. Again, I found no mention of backlash. Maybe I missed it. But again I ask why DC? Is it because it’s Superman, one of the most recognizable figures to young and old alike in the world? I don’t have the answer on this one. I merely thought it was interesting. Maybe you can figure it out.

Anyway, I mention this story in order to pose a few questions whose cores apply well beyond this matter. Let’s begin. If Card’s employment at DC is terminated, will it encourage him to re-think his position? Is threatening to remove one’s ability to support his or her family a proper means of education or is it a form of bullying? Would firing him open DC to a lawsuit for religious discrimination? Devoted members of several religions might become, or at least feel, unwelcome at DC. If NOT supporting a particular political or societal idea is grounds for termination, or not getting a job in the first place, what has happened to Freedom of Speech? And has employment now become a matter of passing a litmus test? Is lying then OK if it keeps you in good standing with special interest groups on either side of an issue? How is this different from when entertainers and artists were blacklisted for their beliefs in the 1950’s? Can one be pro-gay marriage and still write a good Superman story that doesn’t require Jimmy Olsen to marry his doorman to save the earth? (No, Grant Morrison, you cannot use that idea.) And finally, isn’t the whole idea to hire quality creators who produce high quality work the fans like? I mean, comic book fans are genetically predisposed to complain, criticize, rip to shreds, over-think, argue, and just plain bitch. If they aren’t buying, it doesn’t matter what the creator supports because the creation will go away real fast. You can be pro-everything and still have a real short career if you suck at your job, especially in comics.

Look, if you and thousands of your friends want to complain loudly with well thought out points about Card or anything else THEN DO IT. That’s Freedom of Speech. Just don’t forget that Freedom of Speech also applies to unpopular ideas. It’s supposed to protect you and me. It’s supposed to keep people from being punished merely for holding an opinion unpopular to the rest of society. Card has a right to work and support his family, just as supporters of gay-marriage do. Let’s talk. Let’s debate. Let’s politely raise our voices in heated discussions, but let’s not make threats. Boycotts, like any tool designed to generate then exploit fear, end discussion. They are a way to twist arms. They make people afraid to speak and be themselves. They make organizations and individuals walk a very bland, paranoid, neutral path. They silence us all for fear of being the next target. And don’t we have enough of that already? I think we do and I hope you do as well. Or I’ll boycott you.

Thoughts of a Visitor

My father hated winter. The first falling of white would send him into a bee’s dance of endless puttering, planning, and just plain annoyance. Happiness to him was looking over long rows of living green coaxed skyward by the steady push-pull beat of John Deere pistons. Ma once told me if I ever wanted to know what a painter without paint looked like I need only watch Pa when snow covered the ground. Some good did come from those mid-western winters, though. During one long stretch of dull, overcast days Pa gave me his dog-eared copy of The Old Man and the Sea. He read and reread that book for as long as I could remember, but it wasn’t until I read it and felt Hemingway’s sun on my skin that I understood why it called to him. I latched onto Hemingway instantly and he deserves much of the credit for my career in journalism. I sometimes wonder what my biological parents would have thought of seasons. Krypton had none. There is so much about them I’ll never know, but I like to think they would have liked spring. It’s nice to imagine them sharing something in common with Pa. Me? I’m my father’s son. Spring is the best time of year. Especially for flying.