Ralph Nader and How You Can Make Change

Ralph Nader on the steps of the US Capitol building, middle center. Behind him are the initial group of “Nader’s Raiders,” his public interest law group.

Photo Credits: LIFE Magazine.

Andrew Larsen, Staff Writer for The Powderhorn

Most people in Gen Z haven’t even heard of Ralph Nader. If they have, it’s from his candidacy in the 2000 presidential election and the controversy surrounding it. However, Nader was one of the most important figures during the rights movements of the 1970s, and his work amounted to significant change. 25 laws, including the Clean Air Act and the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act, were inspired by his work and have been estimated to have saved millions of lives. 

Nader created and assisted in the creation of many institutes and organizations that advocate and deal in public interest law, a branch of law targeted at defending citizens from practices by government organizations or major corporations that harm consumers. These feats have had major impacts, and you may be wondering how these connect to students. At times, it feels as though we have little to no power, but Nader sees another perspective. To see this, however, we need to explore the way Nader’s life can provide some guidance for modern teenagers. 

Nader’s family immigrated to the United States from Lebanon in 1912 and moved to Winsted, a small factory town in Connecticut, where Nader lived for his childhood. Nader emphasized that this was important to his upbringing and that the environment of the small town facilitated his growth. 

“You could walk anywhere, within 15--20 minutes, ” said Nader. “Everything was within walking distance. That’s very important. I didn’t grow up in the city with 20-story buildings and asphalt and cement, where you hardly put your feet on soil.” 

For residents of Boone, this is a familiar environment. Nader took advantage of this ability to walk anywhere in town and frequently visited the local library and the courthouse. His parents also encouraged his education, and were a key part of his growth.

 “We were educated by example. Our parents didn’t sit us down and give us a lecture. We heard them speaking about community, state, national, and global issues,” said Nadar. “They engaged in the community. They took us to town meetings, the ultimate legislature in a town. That’s the way we learned. We used to say in our family that we went to school for instruction, we learned at home for our education, and we went to the local library for inspiration. The library was a block away, opening its volumes to our young imaginations.”

While North Carolina does not have town meetings, students can visit the Watauga County Courthouse in downtown Boone and watch the cases there. Additionally, the Watauga Public Library and the Appalachian State Library are open to the public, offering thousands of books and resources. Nader went on to attend Princeton University and later Harvard Law School. 

“That’s where I wrote my first article, in December 1958, on unsafely designed automobiles,” said Nader. “That was the first article which led to the book Unsafe at Any Speed. [General Motors] tried to hire detectives to get dirt on me, and obstruct my testifying before the Senate committee that was investigating auto safety deficiencies. The press caught the detectives, and it led to a celebrated congressional hearing that made the evening news on all the TV networks. So, I have to decide, ‘what am I going to do with all of this attention?’ And I decided that I didn’t want to be a lone ranger.” 

Nader’s Unsafe at Any Speed exposed the designed-in dangers of American automobiles, specifically the Corvair, and how automotive companies prioritized style over safety. His work led to President Lyndon Johnson signing into law the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act and the Highway Safety Act, which are estimated to have saved millions of lives. Following this, as Nader said, he decided he no longer wanted to work alone. 

“I brought young college students and law students together,” said Nader. “Their first project was to study the Federal Trade Commission, which was a consumer protection agency that had lost its way and fallen asleep, and had been more congenial with corporate demands than with consumer necessities. That was the beginning of Nader’s Raiders in the late ‘60s.”

“Nader’s Raiders,” as they were first called by The Washington Post, went on to make reforms all across the government, with nearly every interest and field feeling their effects. Most of the Raiders were relatively young, and many doubted their abilities because of this, but together they created lasting, effective legal change. Nader had advice for students looking to make a change in their communities and beyond. 

“The first advice is to have a higher estimate of their own significance in coming decades,” said Nader. “That’s it. They have to dream a little. They have to imagine a lot. They have to start thinking for themselves. One day, I came home from school, my father said to me, ‘What’d you learn today, Ralph? Did you learn how to believe, or did you learn how to think?’ I said, ‘Whoa, how am I going to answer that one?’ Well, we had a discussion, and then he said, ‘you know, there’s nothing wrong with believing, but it’s a pretty good idea to think before you believe.” 

In the age of social media, with misinformation at an all-time high, it’s good practice to question your own beliefs and dig deeper to find the truth of something. Nader also suggested taking advantage of those around you, in your communities and family. 

“I recommend benefiting from your relatives,” said Nader. “Some children have relatives that don’t care much for these things, but there are some relatives that do, or friends or neighbors. So, you let them be your mentor. If you can’t find a mentor, choose someone like Ralph Waldo Emerson, or Eugene Debbs. Then, you start involving yourself in the community, the neighborhood. Grown ups always love young volunteers.” 

Watauga County has a variety of organizations and neighborhoods where students can volunteer, as well as most high school clubs engaging in some form of volunteering. Volunteering is a great, easy way to make an impact on the local level, if you aren’t sure where to start. The importance of activism extends to college, and Nader recommends a knowledge-seeking approach.

“In college, start taking extracurricular courses, so you not only have the courses that are mandated or part of your major. Go to lectures, write for the student paper, latch onto a cause that animates you and enlightens you. When you’re in college, you fight conformity, you don’t allow the tyranny of your peer group to limit your mission in life,” said Nader. “Pretty soon, you’re self motivated. You don’t need to be motivated. They bring their conscience to work, and they motivate themselves, but that doesn’t mean they don’t keep learning.”

Nader suggests that students take the free, online tour of The American Museum of Tort Law, to learn about the history of the field. Tort law is defined as law that protects those injured or harmed by the negligence, recklessness, or intentional actions of wrongdoers. He also recommends listening to his podcast, The Ralph Nader Radio Hour. Nader had further important parting advice. 

“Do not grow up being sensitive to criticism,” said Nader. “Criticism is a gift. You should take advantage of it, instead of getting angry. Also, small victories are important. You can’t just latch onto one big effort, like nuclear disarmament, and not get involved in a lot of other smaller things. The small victories motivate you when you are stalled in terms of the big challenges that you’ve devoted a lot of time to.”