Citizen Action: It’s Easier Than We Think
Overcoming adversity alone is a tough row to hoe but when you act with others it’s not as difficult. There is nothing like solidarity. There’s unity and strength in numbers. Most movements have very modest beginnings. Take women’s rights. Elizabeth Cady Stanton and a handful of other women met in Seneca Falls in Upstate New York in 1848 to launch the women’s rights movement. The odds were against them. The naysayers were out in force with their patronizing comments such as: Why bother? Don’t get involved. Get back to the kitchen. Yet those women and the many who followed them were able to achieve much. Struggles continue. Today the #MeToo movement is challenging patriarchy by calling out men for sexual abuse and harassment and insisting on equal pay for equal work. Citizen action is easier then we think. Struggles continue.
Interviewed by David Barsamian.
Recorded at the American Museum of Tort Law.
2 CDs
Speaker
Ralph Nader
Ralph Nader, a legendary figure, has spent a lifetime fighting on behalf of ordinary people. Life magazine ranked him as one of the most influential Americans of the twentieth century. The Atlantic named him one of the hundred most influential figures in U.S. history. Founder of Public Citizen, he is a long-time advocate for consumer safety and workers’ rights. He rose to fame in the 1960s when he took on General Motors and its unsafe Corvair car. His 1965 book Unsafe At Any Speed not only created a sensation but also was instrumental in the enactment of the Motor Vehicle Safety Act. His efforts helped create the Environmental Protection Agency. He has exposed the misdeeds of the corporate sector as well as of the political system. In recent years he has led the struggles around NAFTA, the WTO, corporate welfare, and single-payer health care. He is the author of numerous books including Return to Sender, Unstoppable, To the Ramparts, Breaking Through Power, and The Rebellious CEO: 12 Leaders Who Did it Right. At 90, Citizen Nader is as active as ever.
DR. EBERT –
RALPH, SHOULD HAVE BEEN OUR PRESIDENT, FOR AT LEAST EIGHT YEARS ALREADY. BUT, AS LONG AS THIS COUNTRY BELIEVES IN CAPITALISM OVER HUMANITY AND RACISM CONTINUES TO RULE THIS NATION, NO REAL GOOD WILL HAPPEN. ALL THE GOOD GUYS GET KILLED OR SIDELINED, BY THE MEDIA AND POWERS THAT BE.
gilbert amspaugh –
A very honest and sobering discussion re: Citizens’ Action. Citizens in this country must get involved in the political process. It does not take money but voluntary service. Contact those in your community, whom are organized, and get to work. Let’s take back our country.
Hourig –
Thank you soooo much for this! A wise wise and sobering interview.
Sharon –
Inspiring. Loved that Nader kept saying “It’s easier than we think.” This Election! He talked about about how Dems in Congress haven’t really proposed policy for things like a livable wage, when these poll high across the board with voters. He was so astute about our foibles on the left, while also hailing some deserving folks. Thanks for that great bit of radio!
Harry –
Wow, what a great interview! You both covered a lot of topics, and with so much depth. I hope this gets a lot of exposure, it would be so enlightening.