Ralph Nader, An Unreasonable Man

Mention Ralph's name in any variety of progressive circles and you'll often get an earful about the 2000 elections. You'll hear about how, sure, the person you're talking to voted for him, but somehow, Nader is effectively responsible for the war and every other sorry state the country is in, because he spoiled the election. Forty years of activism doesn't come up so much in that conversation, does it?

A new documentary aims to shed some light on a man who has managed to be vilified from just about every political angle: An Unreasonable Man premiered in New York City last night. Three sold-out showings on opening night must mean something... people must be curious to get a glimpse at the what's behind the curtains of the crusader.The audience gets more than a glimpse, for sure. Starting out with Election 2000 rants from people who seem rather, er, unreasonably upset still, the film moves quickly into the history of the modern consumer movement. What's shocking about watching that history, though, is that it's incredibly funny (find out which automaker hired women to try and seduce Ralph into scandalous affairs), and an excellent reminder that, as Mark Green notes towards the end of the film, little of the man's life is about ego, as he is so often criticized now. Plus, journalist James Ridgeway often steals the show with his very candid political commentary.

I spoke with Nader briefly after the film, and asked him if he'd ever experienced burnout from all the activism and attacks he's endured. "Burn-what?" he said, looking at me quizzically. And he wasn't being funny, either. "Burnout," I laughed. "How do you deal with it?"

"Oh, burnout," he said. "No, I've never had it. I mean, what's the alternative to activism? Surrender. That's not an option, you know?"

Deni Frand, former director of People for the American Way New York, noted after the film that one of the most crucial points of the film for her was to see where Nader comes from-- how his family is, and the community he grew up in. "And to watch the collapse of the Democrats in the 1980s-- people forget that twenty-year block of time, and just how sad it was," she said. It certainly paints a poignant picture when you see a large room full of Democratic candidates, in their early-80s garb, courting hundreds of potential corporate donors in a feeding frenzy to "catch up" to the Republicans.

If there's anything to criticize about the film, it's the lack of young voices throughout the film-- organizer Jason Kafoury is the only person under 40 to appear (besides some anti-Nader activists that have a few words here and there). It would have been fantastic to see how Nader's populist message is affecting youth activism and culture, and the influence that he's had. At the end Q&A session after the screening, he did offer advice to younger activists: Every town in America has councils and committees where you can get involved. Go and be part of it, and see what you're made of.

As for the 2000 elections-- that's better left to the film. All angles are pursued as to Ralph's influence on the election, and the viewer is left to make their own decision on how it all fell out. I certainly came away with the feeling that he didn't deserve what the Democrats did to him, smearing him for their crappy campaign and Republican-lite candidate. Particularly intriguing to watch, too, were the celebrities who withdrew their support from him.

All-in-all, it's a film that accomplishes quite a bit-- documenting the history of the consumer advocacy movement, providing insight to the character and caricature of Ralph Nader, and above all, it lets us each answer the question it poses: How do you define a legacy?