Who is the Plaid Avenger?^®

The Plaid Avenger is an international fighter for freedom, a defender of democracy, and an enlightener of American students on all things global. A meek, well-mannered college professor by day, by night the Plaid Avenger roams the planet to fight international injustices and solve instances of international intrigue...and educate the reader along the way about the real-world facts behind the real-world situations the Avenger finds himself in. To protect his powers as an ace investigator his true identity must be kept a secret and the university that serves as his home base/crime lab must never be divulged.

How did this come to be? Well, in this increasingly globalized world, 'The Professor' became more and more discouraged at the international ignorance displayed by the average American student, and the general public at large. He understood that the world had changed rapidly in the last couple of decades, becoming ever more irrevocably interconnected than ever before...at precisely the same time that the premier role of the US as the sole superpower was on the wane. Like it or not, economies and politics, health and environmental issues, and even societal cultural practices from across the planet are increasingly affecting each other every day and in every way.

Americans now live in a global community....but most students know nothing of their neighbors! This international incompetence must end, and soon, as the success of our future generations-- and the great USA itself--depend on a literate, confident, and comprehending population that is not just aware of the world, but is engaged in it. But how can we immerse and interest an American population long-trained to be self-absorbed and globally disengaged?

The Professor decided to take a bold stand by going out and actually facing the world's issues and problems head-on...experiencing and learning about what is really happening in the world instead of just listening to the blathering babble from politicians or the ten-second sound bites from news pundits. Thus, in turn, he can better relate these stories and situations to students back home in succinct and meaningful ways they can understand, spoken in the vernacular, with all the political correctness and national propaganda stripped away.

Simultaneously being a global citizen and covert operative collecting the facts, the Professor must always be able to blend seamlessly into any society or situation, and his true nationality must remain cloistered...thus his secret identity was born. Enter: the Plaid Avenger. This masked alter ego can cunningly chameleon himself into any culture with his stylish use of retro 1970's menswear, find out the facts, and then devise devilishly clever ways to captivate his students with the in-depth knowledge they need to understand the world when he returns to the classroom...

And that is really what we are all about here! Educating and illuminating students about what is happening out in the world, getting them fully engaged in the globalized 21st century, and instilling a lifelong curiosity to keep up with planetary happenings. In this pursuit, the Plaid Team has experimented with radical new concepts in education, and the delivery mechanisms for material itself. How so?

Well, The Plaid Avenger's World is a radical departure from the boring, painful to read, encyclopedic-style tripe that students have come to accept as the only option for textbooks. This book is a titanic tool for international enlightenment, but with a twist: the narrative is presented in first person, straight from the Avenger’s mouth, in the vernacular of the street, with gritty detail that students seem to relish. Yes, it is presented in a light-hearted, 'unacademic' fashion, yes it has humor, and yes it may even be offensive to the stuffed shirts and neocons that would like our society to revert to the “good ol' days” of the 1950's. However, that ain't gonna happen, and we think students in 21st century America are willing and excited to be presented information in this refreshingly candid and honest fashion.

But it's not just about the textbook! The Plaid Team also embraces the use of other, more radical and non-mainstream forms of eduction, like the graphic novel! Forever accepted and relegated to being simple entertainment for kids, we have embraced the concept of the 'comic book' and repurposed it for international education aimed at the high school to adult crowd...using the Avenger as a vehicle to explain critical, real-world situations happening around the globe in our time, with appealing artist flair! An educational picture book for adults? Absolutely, and a whole lot more!

And these plaid products are also embracing the evolving communications technologies, and students shifting information-access habits as well! The shift away from standard media sources (newspapers, TV, radio) to on-line formats has happened at a blistering pace, and Team Plaid is on the forefront of this shift, striving to revolutionize the education industry for this new generation of learner that absorbs information in new ways...how?

The Plaid Avenger website incorporates live office hours streaming of 'The Professor,' pre-recorded lectures on the major global themes and world regions, interactive student forums, and current events video blogging...that is, the Avenger himself appears on a video blog on-line 1-2 times weekly to explain and elaborate on current events as they are unfolding! Students from anywhere in the country can tune in and get turned on to what is actually happening out in the real world, as the man in plaid makes the connections from the page to the planet.

Additional web resources such as World Leaders Profiles, on-line versions of The Plaid Avenger's Comic Book adventures, International Interviews offering insights from students from around the world, interactive student forums, and Plaid Avenger Film Community have been developed for, and with input from, actual high school and college students....just as the original textbook was developed too. It is a product of the peoples! As such, students can learn from each other, and also have a voice in future topics as well: all Plaid Avenger current events missions and website content is based on user requests! Want an explanation on a hot topic or to see an additional world leader of note? Just drop a line to the Avenger and it will happen!

International enlightenment for Americans, in a vibrant, accessible, fun forum. This is the passion of The Professor. This is the mission of The Plaid Avenger. This is the excitement the the Plaid Team incites. So travel along with our hero in the fun while learning the fundamentals, and simultaneously get yourself hip to global issues of great consequence to the globally literate.

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