An Unreasonable Man
“The name Ralph Nade sparks fiery debate among people across the country. To
some, he is an icon of rare idealism, while others see him simply
as the political spoiler of the last two elections. No matter what you think of
the man, the fact remains that he is a tireless
crusader.
Hailing from modest means in small-town Conneticut without a family pedigree, Nader rose to prominence during the 70s as a consumer rights activist. Over his lengthy career, he has impacted the public in countless ways. He has saved thousands of lives by initiating legislation ranging from seat-belt mandates for cars to food safety regulations. This well-documented film recounts his early days going up against General Motors and inspiring young liberal minds, who adopted the name “Nader’s Raiders” to help fight unregulated corporations.
This exhaustive and potentially charged film by Henriette Mantel and Stephen Skrovan includes well-placed archival footage and newly shot interviews with Nader himself. Numerous extended interviews with former colleagues, supporters, and family members allow the riveting, dramatic story to unfold. An Unreasonable Man skillfully dissects the life and work of an unparalleled human being. The film begs the question, when do we speak for what is right without compromise and when do we surrender one battle for the sake of the war? America, it’s your turn to vote.”-Lisa Viola
My biggest criticism of the film is that it didn't cover any of the controversy and splitting within the Green Party in 2004 over Nader's decision to run a second time. The film seemed incomplete without those events and conversations. The filmmakers were present at the screening and did a Q&A afterward and I regret that I didn't ask them about that while I had the chance. I was still trying to absorb all that I had seen -- there was a lot of perspectives and information presented and the omission didn't occur to me until about half an hour after the film finished.
The film covered a variety of perspectives. Those who criticized Nader's run (including those who had formerly worked with Nader -- Nader's Raiders) and those who felt that it was important for him to run.
The film is also very inspiring. Ralph Nader has accomplished more to make this country a better place as a citizen than most politicians could ever dream of in office. That accomplishment came at a price: long work hours that made a personal life difficult. Nader never married, and the film suggested that he didn't have time for a girlfriend (or boyfriend? don't want to assume sexual preference.) But we can thank Nader for so many things that many people probably aren't even aware that we have because of Nader.
I voted for Ralph Nader in 2000. I was one of the voters that was fed up with the presidential race. Even though I'd voted in every election since I turned 18, I was disillusioned with the candidates we always got. The Republicans were bad news, and after all the horrible stuff that Clinton pulled in his 8 years I knew I couldn't count on the Democrats to do the right thing -- and I was tired of giving them my vote just because they weren't as bad as the Republicans. If Nader hadn't been running in 2000 I would have stayed home that election day.
By 2004 things had changed a bit. I had joined the Green Party and I was of the opinion that it would be good for the Greens to run one of our own -- Nader wasn't a member of the Green Party -- and I was concerned that if we ran Nader again that we'd be building the party around one person and we'd find it difficult to continue as a party once Nader was no longer interested in running for office. I was still a big fan of Nader, and I think he'd be a wonderful president -- but I also wanted to see the Green Party become a viable third party that may eventually break the 2-party duopoly. David Cobb came to Salt Lake City and spoke with us and I knew he'd be a candidate that would put Green Party growth as his priority.
I still believe that, even though I supported David Cobb for the Green presidential ballot line, Nader had a right to run. I received a lot of spam from a Democrat (Delinceclu@aol.com) that sent out mass emailings that slammed Nader. I began to reply to those with arguments and he/she eventually responded angrily. I wrote to Alternet early in 2004 after they had posted a Nader bashing article on their site -- this kind of sums up my feelings toward the Democrats that were fighting Nader's run:
"Let Him Run
As a progressive, I'm finding the criticism from some progressive voices (such as yours) over other progressive voices disturbing.
Are you going to be all Nader bashing all the time? Why? Don't tell me you buy the spoiler myth.
There's plenty to write about and criticize about the right wing -- when you try to pick sides and vilify people on the same side as you, you're going to alienate a lot of people. The reason the right is becoming so powerful in this country is they don't splinter off and argue the tiniest of tiny details.
While I'm undecided on who I'd vote for president, I'm also not a big fan of voting the lesser of the two evils, which your organization seems to be promoting. I am personally sick of moderate to right-leaning democrats being in the running for the top job. By criticizing and discouraging people from voting their conscience, you may just encourage a lot of progressives to stay home on election day, which would definitely give Bush another four years."
The title of the film comes from the quote from George Bernard Shaw which sums up the film nicely:
"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man."
Hailing from modest means in small-town Conneticut without a family pedigree, Nader rose to prominence during the 70s as a consumer rights activist. Over his lengthy career, he has impacted the public in countless ways. He has saved thousands of lives by initiating legislation ranging from seat-belt mandates for cars to food safety regulations. This well-documented film recounts his early days going up against General Motors and inspiring young liberal minds, who adopted the name “Nader’s Raiders” to help fight unregulated corporations.
This exhaustive and potentially charged film by Henriette Mantel and Stephen Skrovan includes well-placed archival footage and newly shot interviews with Nader himself. Numerous extended interviews with former colleagues, supporters, and family members allow the riveting, dramatic story to unfold. An Unreasonable Man skillfully dissects the life and work of an unparalleled human being. The film begs the question, when do we speak for what is right without compromise and when do we surrender one battle for the sake of the war? America, it’s your turn to vote.”-Lisa Viola
My biggest criticism of the film is that it didn't cover any of the controversy and splitting within the Green Party in 2004 over Nader's decision to run a second time. The film seemed incomplete without those events and conversations. The filmmakers were present at the screening and did a Q&A afterward and I regret that I didn't ask them about that while I had the chance. I was still trying to absorb all that I had seen -- there was a lot of perspectives and information presented and the omission didn't occur to me until about half an hour after the film finished.
The film covered a variety of perspectives. Those who criticized Nader's run (including those who had formerly worked with Nader -- Nader's Raiders) and those who felt that it was important for him to run.
The film is also very inspiring. Ralph Nader has accomplished more to make this country a better place as a citizen than most politicians could ever dream of in office. That accomplishment came at a price: long work hours that made a personal life difficult. Nader never married, and the film suggested that he didn't have time for a girlfriend (or boyfriend? don't want to assume sexual preference.) But we can thank Nader for so many things that many people probably aren't even aware that we have because of Nader.
I voted for Ralph Nader in 2000. I was one of the voters that was fed up with the presidential race. Even though I'd voted in every election since I turned 18, I was disillusioned with the candidates we always got. The Republicans were bad news, and after all the horrible stuff that Clinton pulled in his 8 years I knew I couldn't count on the Democrats to do the right thing -- and I was tired of giving them my vote just because they weren't as bad as the Republicans. If Nader hadn't been running in 2000 I would have stayed home that election day.
By 2004 things had changed a bit. I had joined the Green Party and I was of the opinion that it would be good for the Greens to run one of our own -- Nader wasn't a member of the Green Party -- and I was concerned that if we ran Nader again that we'd be building the party around one person and we'd find it difficult to continue as a party once Nader was no longer interested in running for office. I was still a big fan of Nader, and I think he'd be a wonderful president -- but I also wanted to see the Green Party become a viable third party that may eventually break the 2-party duopoly. David Cobb came to Salt Lake City and spoke with us and I knew he'd be a candidate that would put Green Party growth as his priority.
I still believe that, even though I supported David Cobb for the Green presidential ballot line, Nader had a right to run. I received a lot of spam from a Democrat (Delinceclu@aol.com) that sent out mass emailings that slammed Nader. I began to reply to those with arguments and he/she eventually responded angrily. I wrote to Alternet early in 2004 after they had posted a Nader bashing article on their site -- this kind of sums up my feelings toward the Democrats that were fighting Nader's run:
"Let Him Run
As a progressive, I'm finding the criticism from some progressive voices (such as yours) over other progressive voices disturbing.
Are you going to be all Nader bashing all the time? Why? Don't tell me you buy the spoiler myth.
There's plenty to write about and criticize about the right wing -- when you try to pick sides and vilify people on the same side as you, you're going to alienate a lot of people. The reason the right is becoming so powerful in this country is they don't splinter off and argue the tiniest of tiny details.
While I'm undecided on who I'd vote for president, I'm also not a big fan of voting the lesser of the two evils, which your organization seems to be promoting. I am personally sick of moderate to right-leaning democrats being in the running for the top job. By criticizing and discouraging people from voting their conscience, you may just encourage a lot of progressives to stay home on election day, which would definitely give Bush another four years."
The title of the film comes from the quote from George Bernard Shaw which sums up the film nicely:
"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man."