环球英语 — 40：Stetson Kennedy: Fighting Against Bigot

　　Voice 1
Thank you for joining us for Spotlight¹. I’m Rebekah Schipper.
Voice 2
And I’m Liz Waid. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
Today’s Spotlight is on a man named Stetson Kennedy. During his life he worked for human rights. He did most of his work in the southern United States. He helped to slow the growth of a U.S. racist² group called the Ku Klux Klan.
Voice 2
In the early eighteen hundreds [1800’s], many white people in the southern United States had black slaves. This was a terrible time in America’s history. Slavery officially ended in the eighteen sixties [1860’s]. But for many years, black people still had very limited rights, even until the nineteen sixties [1960’s]. And they often experienced violent attacks from hate groups like the Ku Klux Klan. The Klan was a group of white men who terrorized black people. Often, the Klan beat or killed them for little or no reason. And often, this violence against black people was not punished.
Voice 1
Stetson Kennedy was born in 1916 in Florida, in the United States. He was a white man. As a child, one particular incident had a big influence on Stetson. When Stetson was young, a black woman named Flo worked for his family. One day, she had a dispute with a public transportation driver. She paid for the service. But he did not give her the right amount of money back. Soon after the incident, a few members of the Klan attacked Flo. They beat and raped³ her. She had been like a mother to Stetson.
Voice 2
In the nineteen forties [1940’s], Stetson was a young man. And America was involved in World War Two. Many young men went to fight in the war. Stetson could not go - his back was weak. But he decided⁴ that he still wanted to defend his country. Instead of going to war, he decided to defend his country at home. He thought that the United States’ most dangerous enemy was bigotry⁵. Bigotry is the opposite of tolerance⁶ and acceptance. A bigot does not accept other people’s ideas. And he may have harmful ideas about different groups of people. As a young man, Stetson wrote books and other documents against bigotry.
Voice 1
Stetson worked continuously for his beliefs. As a man, he still remembered Flo. He remembered what the Klan had done to her. He believed that they demonstrated bigotry more than any other group. The public was too frightened of them to stop them. And anti-hate groups had problems fighting the Klan effectively. People must have knowledge to fight hate. But, no one knew any real facts about the Klan.
Voice 2
So, Stetson decided to fix that problem. He joined a Klan group in Atlanta, in the United States. But he used a false name. Stetson attended Klan gatherings⁸ every week. He began to understand the rules and traditions the Klan followed. He learned the special movements they made. He learned their secret passwords. A Klan member could find another Klan member by saying the secret password.
Voice 1
Many of the things Stetson learned seemed silly or foolish. They seemed like games for children. After every gathering⁷ Stetson hurried home. Then he wrote down everything he could remember from the night’s meeting.
Voice 2
Stetson gave this information to honest authorities in the area. But, his letters had little effect. After a time, Stetson had an excellent idea. One day he observed a few children playing. They played like they were spies doing secret work. They even exchanged play secret passwords. Their play made him think of the Klan. And he formed a plan.
Voice 1
Stetson’s plan was to give the secret Klan passwords and secrets to children for play! If children knew the secret words the Klan would lose its power. They would look foolish. And their secrets would be in the open!
Voice 2
Stetson began to communicate with producers of the popular children’s radio program ‘The Adventures of Superman.’ Every night millions of listeners heard this program. Superman was an imaginary superhero with special powers. He fought against and defeated many evil enemies - including some from the real world. The producers were happy to have a new enemy for Superman to fight.
Voice 1
Stetson gave the producers all of the Klan secrets he knew. He told them the details of the group’s structure. He told them secret passwords the Klan used. And the producers wrote four [4] programs with this information. Soon, children began to use the secret Klan words in play. They copied the special clothes all Klan members wore.
Voice 2
At the next Klan meeting, Klan members were very angry. The radio program made the Klan look like fools. They changed their secret passwords. But Stetson just passed the new secret passwords on to the producers. And they used them in the next radio program. Soon interest in the Klan decreased. No one wanted to join the group.
Voice 1
In 1954, Stetson published a book about his experiences with the Klan. Recently, some people have questioned the book. They say that Stetson may have exaggerated some events - he made the truth seem even better. Stetson admits that he did add some details to his experiences. He says the details made the book more exciting for people to read. But he firmly claims that all the main details are true. He did join the Klan group under a false name. He did work for human rights.
Voice 2
Stetson did what he set out to do. He used his book to show the world that the Klan was dangerous. He made the Klan seem foolish. Many people respect him for what he did. They say he is a hero.
Voice 1
The Klan still exists today in America. But, it is much smaller, and less powerful. Many experts say that Stetson Kennedy’s actions helped to decrease Klan activity. Stetson recognized that information was power. In the past, no one knew anything about the Klan. But, once people knew about the Klan, they did not fear it as much. Stetson’s actions took away the Klan’s power.
Voice 2
Stetson did not have to lead a protest. He did not have to show great courage. The only thing he had to do was help spread information.
Voice 1
Tolerance.org is a website in the United States. They work to stop hate and bigotry. They say:
Voice 3
“Our experience shows that one person, acting⁹ from conscience and love, is able to neutralize¹⁰ bigotry. Imagine, then, what a whole community, working together, could do.”
Voice 2
Whatever you do, never stop fighting hate and bigotry. You can make a difference.
 

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 racist   

n.种族主义者，种族主义分子

参考例句：

• a series of racist attacks 一连串的种族袭击行为
• His speech presented racist ideas under the guise of nationalism. 他的讲话以民族主义为幌子宣扬种族主义思想。

3 raped   

v.以暴力夺取，强夺( rape的过去式和过去分词 )；强奸

参考例句：

• A young woman was brutally raped in her own home. 一名年轻女子在自己家中惨遭强暴。 来自辞典例句
• We got stick together, or we will be having our women raped. 我们得团结一致，不然我们的妻女就会遭到蹂躏。 来自辞典例句

4 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

5 bigotry   

n.偏见，偏执，持偏见的行为[态度]等

参考例句：

• She tried to dissociate herself from the bigotry in her past.她力图使自己摆脱她以前的偏见。
• At least we can proceed in this matter without bigotry.目前这件事咱们至少可以毫无偏见地进行下去。

6 tolerance   

n.宽容；容忍，忍受；耐药力；公差

参考例句：

• Tolerance is one of his strengths.宽容是他的一个优点。
• Human beings have limited tolerance of noise.人类对噪音的忍耐力有限。

7 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

8 gatherings   

聚集( gathering的名词复数 )； 收集； 采集； 搜集

参考例句：

• His conduct at social gatherings created a lot of comment. 他在社交聚会上的表现引起许多闲话。
• During one of these gatherings a pupil caught stealing. 有一次，其中一名弟子偷窃被抓住。

9 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

10 neutralize   

v.使失效、抵消，使中和

参考例句：

• Nothing could neutralize its good effects.没有什么能抵消它所产生的好影响。
• Acids neutralize alkalis and vice versa.酸能使碱中和碱，亦能使酸中和。