What it takes to create social change against all odds
-
0:01 - 0:02Over the decades,
-
0:03 - 0:06my colleagues and I have exposed
terrible misdeeds and crimes -
0:06 - 0:07by large corporations,
-
0:08 - 0:10which have taken many lives
-
0:10 - 0:12and caused injuries and diseases,
-
0:13 - 0:17on top of damaging economic costs,
-
0:17 - 0:19affecting many incidents.
-
0:20 - 0:22But exposure was not enough.
-
0:23 - 0:25We had to secure congressional mandates
-
0:26 - 0:28to prevent such devastation.
-
0:29 - 0:33As a result, many lives were saved
and many traumas prevented, -
0:33 - 0:36especially in the areas of automobile,
pharmaceutical, environmental -
0:36 - 0:39and workplace health and safety.
-
0:39 - 0:42Along the way, we kept getting
one question again and again: -
0:43 - 0:46"Ralph, how do you do all this?
-
0:46 - 0:47Your groups are small,
-
0:48 - 0:49your funds are modest
-
0:49 - 0:53and you don't make campaign
contributions to politicians." -
0:53 - 0:56My response points to an overlooked,
-
0:56 - 0:59amazing pattern of American history.
-
0:59 - 1:02Just about every advance in justice,
-
1:02 - 1:04every blessing of democracy,
-
1:04 - 1:08came from the efforts of small numbers
of individual citizens. -
1:09 - 1:11They knew what they were talking about.
-
1:11 - 1:13They expanded public opinion,
-
1:13 - 1:18or what Abraham Lincoln called
"the all-important public sentiment." -
1:18 - 1:21The few citizens who started
these movements -
1:21 - 1:24enlisted larger numbers along the way
-
1:24 - 1:27to achieving these reforms
and redirections. -
1:28 - 1:30However, even at their peak,
-
1:30 - 1:36the actively engaged people never
exceeded one percent of the citizenry, -
1:36 - 1:37often far less.
-
1:38 - 1:41These builders of democracy and justice
-
1:41 - 1:44came out of the antislavery drives,
-
1:44 - 1:46the pressures for women's right to vote.
-
1:47 - 1:51They rose from farmers and workers
in industrial sectors -
1:51 - 1:56demanding regulation of banks,
railroads and manufacturers -
1:56 - 1:58and fair labor standards.
-
1:58 - 2:00In the 20th century,
-
2:00 - 2:06improvements of life came
with tiny third parties and their allies -
2:06 - 2:09pushing the major parties
in the electoral arena -
2:10 - 2:11to adopt such measures,
-
2:12 - 2:16such as the right to form labor unions,
-
2:16 - 2:17the 40-hour week,
-
2:17 - 2:20progressive taxation, the minimum wage,
-
2:20 - 2:22unemployment compensation
-
2:22 - 2:23and social security.
-
2:24 - 2:26More recently came Medicare
-
2:26 - 2:29and civil rights, civil liberties,
-
2:29 - 2:31nuclear arms treaties,
-
2:31 - 2:33consumer and environmental triumphs --
-
2:34 - 2:36all sparked by citizen advocates
-
2:36 - 2:38and small third parties
-
2:38 - 2:40who never won a national election.
-
2:42 - 2:44If you're willing to lose persistently,
-
2:44 - 2:47your causes can become winners in time.
-
2:47 - 2:48(Laughter)
-
2:48 - 2:51The story of how I came
to these civic activities -
2:51 - 2:53may be instructive
-
2:53 - 2:57for people who go along
with Senator Daniel Webster's belief, -
2:57 - 3:01"Justice, sir, is the great interest
of man on earth." -
3:02 - 3:06I grew up in a small,
highly industrialized town in Connecticut -
3:06 - 3:08with three siblings and parents
-
3:08 - 3:12who owned a popular restaurant,
bakery and delicatessen. -
3:13 - 3:14Two waterways,
-
3:14 - 3:17the Mad River and the Still River,
-
3:17 - 3:19crossed alongside our main street.
-
3:20 - 3:25As a child, I asked
why couldn't we wade and fish in them, -
3:25 - 3:27like the rivers we read about
in our schoolbooks. -
3:28 - 3:32The answer: the factories
freely use these rivers -
3:32 - 3:36to dump harmful toxic chemicals
and other pollutants. -
3:36 - 3:41In fact, the companies took control
of rivers that belonged to all of us -
3:41 - 3:43for their own profitable pursuits.
-
3:43 - 3:48Later, I realized the rivers
were not part of our normal lives at all, -
3:48 - 3:51except when they flooded our streets.
-
3:51 - 3:55There were no water pollution
regulations to speak of then. -
3:55 - 3:58I realized only strong laws
could clean up our waterways. -
3:59 - 4:04My youthful observation
of our town's two river-sewers -
4:04 - 4:08started a straight line
to my eighth-grade graduation speech -
4:08 - 4:14about the great conservationist,
national park advocate John Muir, -
4:14 - 4:19then to my studies at Princeton
on the origins of public sanitation, -
4:19 - 4:22and then to Rachel Carson's
"Silent Spring." -
4:22 - 4:24These engagements prepared me
-
4:24 - 4:28for seizing the golden hour
of environmental lawmaking -
4:28 - 4:30in the early 1970s.
-
4:30 - 4:32I played a leading citizen role
-
4:32 - 4:35in lobbying through Congress
the Clean Air Act; -
4:35 - 4:38the clean water laws, EPA;
-
4:38 - 4:41workplace safety standards, OSHA;
-
4:41 - 4:43and the Safe Drinking Water Act.
-
4:43 - 4:45If there's less lead in your body,
-
4:45 - 4:47no more asbestos in your lungs
-
4:47 - 4:49and cleaner air and water,
-
4:49 - 4:53it's because of those laws over the years.
-
4:53 - 4:57Today, enforcement of these
lifesaving laws under Trump -
4:57 - 5:00is being dismantled wholesale.
-
5:01 - 5:04Rolling back these perils
is the immediate challenge -
5:05 - 5:07to a resurgent environmental movement
-
5:07 - 5:09for the young generation.
-
5:09 - 5:13As for consumer advocates,
there are no permanent victories. -
5:13 - 5:15Passing a law is only the first step.
-
5:15 - 5:19The next step, and the next step,
is defending the law. -
5:20 - 5:23For me, some of these battles
were highly personal. -
5:23 - 5:28I lost friends in high school and college
to highway collisions, -
5:28 - 5:31the first leading cause of death
in that age group. -
5:31 - 5:34Then, the blame was put on the driver,
-
5:34 - 5:37derisively called
"the nut behind the wheel." -
5:38 - 5:41True, drunk drivers had responsibility,
-
5:41 - 5:45but safer-designed vehicles and highways
could prevent crashes -
5:45 - 5:48and diminish their severity
when they occurred. -
5:48 - 5:50There were no seat belts,
padded dash panels, -
5:50 - 5:54no airbags or other
crash-worthy protections -
5:54 - 5:58to diminish the severity of collisions.
-
5:58 - 6:04The brakes, tires and handling stability
of US vehicles left much to be desired, -
6:04 - 6:07even in comparison
with foreign manufacturers. -
6:07 - 6:09I liked to hitchhike,
-
6:09 - 6:13including back and forth
from Princeton and Harvard Law School. -
6:13 - 6:18Sometimes, a driver and I came upon
ghastly crash scenes. -
6:19 - 6:22The horrors made a deep impression on me.
-
6:22 - 6:25They sparked my writing
a paper at law school -
6:25 - 6:30on unsafe automotive design and the need
for motor vehicle safety laws. -
6:30 - 6:34One of my closest friends
at law school, Fred Condon, -
6:34 - 6:38was driving home one day from work
to his young family in New Hampshire -
6:39 - 6:44and momentarily drowsed
behind the wheel of his station wagon. -
6:44 - 6:47The vehicle went to the shoulder
of the road and tipped over. -
6:48 - 6:51There were no seat belts in 1961.
-
6:51 - 6:53Fred became a paraplegic.
-
6:53 - 6:58Such preventable violence
created fire in my belly. -
6:59 - 7:03The auto industry was
cruelly refusing to install -
7:03 - 7:07long-known lifesaving safety features
and pollution controls. -
7:07 - 7:12Instead, the industry focused on
advertising the annual style changes -
7:12 - 7:14and excessive horsepower.
-
7:14 - 7:15I was outraged.
-
7:16 - 7:20The more I investigated the suppression
of auto safety devices, -
7:20 - 7:24publicized evidence from court cases
about the auto companies -
7:24 - 7:27negligently harming vehicle occupants --
-
7:27 - 7:31especially the instability
of a GM vehicle called the Corvair -- -
7:31 - 7:36the more General Motors was keen on
discrediting my writings and testimony. -
7:36 - 7:41They hired private detectives
to follow me in order to get dirt. -
7:42 - 7:45After the publication of my book,
"Unsafe at Any Speed," -
7:45 - 7:49GM wanted to undermine
my forthcoming testimony -
7:49 - 7:51before a Senate subcommittee in 1966.
-
7:52 - 7:54The Capitol Police caught them.
-
7:55 - 7:57The media was all over
the struggle in Congress -
7:57 - 7:59between me and giant General Motors.
-
8:00 - 8:03With remarkable speed compared to today,
-
8:03 - 8:09in 1966, Congress and President Johnson
brought the largest industry in America -
8:09 - 8:10under federal regulation
-
8:10 - 8:15for safety, pollution control
and fuel efficiency. -
8:15 - 8:17By the year 2015,
-
8:17 - 8:21three and a half million deaths
were averted just in the US, -
8:22 - 8:24millions more injuries prevented,
-
8:24 - 8:26billions of dollars saved.
-
8:26 - 8:31What did it take for a victory
against such overwhelming odds? -
8:32 - 8:34Well, there were:
-
8:34 - 8:39one, a few advocates who knew how
to communicate the evidence everywhere; -
8:39 - 8:43two, several key receptive
congressional committee chairs -
8:43 - 8:45led by three senators;
-
8:46 - 8:49three, about seven reporters
from major newspapers -
8:49 - 8:53who regularly reported on
the unfolding story; -
8:53 - 8:57four, President Lyndon Johnson,
with assistance, -
8:57 - 9:03amenable to creating
a regulatory safety agency, NHTSA; -
9:03 - 9:08and five, a dozen auto engineers,
inspectors and physicians -
9:09 - 9:11who divulged crucial information,
-
9:11 - 9:14and who need to be better known.
-
9:14 - 9:18One more factor was critical:
informed public opinion. -
9:18 - 9:23A majority of people learned about
how much safer their cars could be. -
9:23 - 9:26They wanted their vehicles
to be fuel-efficient. -
9:26 - 9:28They wanted to breathe cleaner air.
-
9:28 - 9:31The result: in September 1966,
-
9:31 - 9:36President Lyndon Johnson signed
the safety legislation in the White House -
9:36 - 9:40with me by his side, receiving a pen!
-
9:40 - 9:41(Laughter)
-
9:41 - 9:44Between 1966 and 1976,
-
9:44 - 9:49those six critically connected factors
were used over and over. -
9:49 - 9:54It became the golden age
of legislation and regulatory action -
9:54 - 9:57for consumer, worker
and environmental protection. -
9:58 - 10:01Those connected elements
of our past campaigns -
10:01 - 10:06need to be kept in mind
by people striving to do the same today -
10:06 - 10:08for drinking water safety,
-
10:08 - 10:10antibiotic resistance deaths,
-
10:10 - 10:13criminal justice reform,
-
10:13 - 10:15risks from climate disruption,
-
10:15 - 10:17bio- and nanotech impacts,
-
10:17 - 10:19the nuclear arms race,
-
10:19 - 10:20peace treaties,
-
10:20 - 10:21dangers to children,
-
10:22 - 10:24chemical and radioactive perils,
-
10:24 - 10:25and the like.
-
10:25 - 10:31According to a solid study in 2016
by Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, -
10:31 - 10:33preventable hospital deaths
-
10:33 - 10:38take a mind-boggling 5,000 lives
a week in America. -
10:39 - 10:42The 1980s climax:
-
10:42 - 10:47our dramatic struggle
to limit smoking in public places, -
10:47 - 10:49regulate the tobacco industry
-
10:49 - 10:52and establish conditions
for reducing smoking. -
10:52 - 10:56Their struggle began in earnest in 1964,
-
10:56 - 10:59with the US Surgeon
General's famous report -
10:59 - 11:03linking cigarette smoking
to cancer and other diseases. -
11:03 - 11:07Over 400,000 deaths a year
in the United States -
11:07 - 11:09are related to smoking.
-
11:10 - 11:16Public hearings, litigation, media exposés
and industry whistleblowers -
11:16 - 11:21joined with crucial medical scientists
to take on a very powerful industry. -
11:21 - 11:25I asked Michael Pertschuk,
a leading Senate staffer, -
11:25 - 11:30how many full-time advocates were working
on tobacco industry control at that time. -
11:30 - 11:36Mr. Pertschuk estimated no more
than 1,000 full-time champions in the US -
11:36 - 11:38pressing for a smoke-free society.
-
11:38 - 11:44I say that's a remarkably small number
of people making it happen. -
11:44 - 11:49They had a public opinion majority
of aroused people, nonsmokers, -
11:49 - 11:50behind them.
-
11:50 - 11:54Many smokers were quitting
the nicotine addiction. -
11:54 - 11:57Just think: from 45 percent of adults
-
11:57 - 12:01down to 15 percent by 2018.
-
12:02 - 12:05The tipping point was when
Congress passed legislation -
12:05 - 12:07empowering the Food
and Drug Administration -
12:07 - 12:10to regulate the tobacco companies.
-
12:10 - 12:13Keep in mind that advances
for consumers and workers -
12:13 - 12:17are usually followed by
a variety of corporate counterattacks. -
12:17 - 12:21When the fervor behind such reform fades,
-
12:22 - 12:28then legislatures and regulatory agencies
become very vulnerable to industry capture -
12:28 - 12:31that stalls existing
or further enforcement. -
12:32 - 12:33What's that saying?
-
12:33 - 12:37"Justice requires constant vigilance."
-
12:37 - 12:39We see the difference between
-
12:39 - 12:44the driven stamina of counterattacking,
profit-driven corporate power -
12:44 - 12:48and the fatigue that overcomes
a voluntary citizenry -
12:48 - 12:51whose awareness and skill need renewal.
-
12:52 - 12:54It is not a fair contest
-
12:54 - 12:58between large companies
like General Motors, Pfizer, -
12:58 - 13:02ExxonMobil, Wells Fargo, Monsanto,
-
13:02 - 13:05plus other very wealthy
companies and lobbyists, -
13:05 - 13:09compared to people protection groups
with very limited resources. -
13:10 - 13:13Moreover, the corporations
have immunities and privileges -
13:13 - 13:16unavailable to real human beings.
-
13:16 - 13:22For example, Takata was guilty
of a horrific airbag scandal, -
13:22 - 13:25but the company escaped
criminal prosecution. -
13:25 - 13:31Instead, Takata was allowed to go bankrupt
and its executives kept nice nest eggs. -
13:32 - 13:36But organized people need not
be awed by corporate power. -
13:36 - 13:39Lawmakers still want votes
-
13:39 - 13:44more than they need
campaign finance from corporations. -
13:45 - 13:49We far outnumber corporations
in potential influence. -
13:50 - 13:52But voters must be connected clearly
-
13:52 - 13:57to what organized voters want
from the lawmakers. -
13:57 - 14:02Delegating the constitutional
authority of "we the people," -
14:02 - 14:06we want them to do the people's work.
-
14:07 - 14:08A people's Congress,
-
14:08 - 14:12the most constitutionally powerful
branch of government, -
14:12 - 14:17can override, block or rechannel
the most destructive corporations. -
14:18 - 14:22There are only 100 senators
and 435 representatives -
14:22 - 14:25with just two million
organized activists back home, -
14:25 - 14:27a Congress watchdog hobby.
-
14:28 - 14:32Congressional justice
can be made reliable and prompt. -
14:32 - 14:35We've proved that again and again
with far fewer people. -
14:35 - 14:38But today, Congress,
marinated in campaign money, -
14:38 - 14:42has been abdicating its responsibilities
to an executive branch -
14:43 - 14:47which too often has become a corporate
state controlled by big companies. -
14:48 - 14:53President Franklin D. Roosevelt,
in 1938, in a message to Congress, -
14:53 - 14:57called concentrated corporate power
over our government -
14:57 - 15:00quote -- fascism -- end quote.
-
15:01 - 15:04A modest engagement
of one percent of adults -
15:04 - 15:08in each of the 435
congressional districts, -
15:08 - 15:12summoning senators and representatives
or state legislators -
15:12 - 15:14to their own town meetings,
-
15:14 - 15:17where the citizenry presents their agenda,
-
15:17 - 15:19backed by a majority of voters,
-
15:19 - 15:21can turn Congress around.
-
15:21 - 15:26Our representatives can become
a fountainhead of democracy and justice, -
15:26 - 15:28elevating human possibilities.
-
15:29 - 15:30I dream of our schools,
-
15:30 - 15:32or after-school clinics,
-
15:32 - 15:37teaching community civic action skills,
leading to the good life. -
15:37 - 15:39Adult education classes
should do the same. -
15:39 - 15:44We need to create citizen training
and action libraries. -
15:44 - 15:49Students and adults love knowledge
that relates to their daily lives. -
15:49 - 15:54Large majorities of Americans,
regardless of political labels, -
15:54 - 15:55favor a living wage,
-
15:55 - 15:57universal health insurance,
-
15:57 - 16:01real enforcement against
corporate crime, fraud and abuse. -
16:01 - 16:03They want a fair, productive tax system,
-
16:03 - 16:07public budgets returning value
to the people back home -
16:07 - 16:09in modern infrastructure,
-
16:09 - 16:11and an end to most corporate subsidies.
-
16:11 - 16:16Increasingly, they're demanding
serious attention to climate disruption -
16:16 - 16:20and other environmental
and global health perils and pandemics. -
16:21 - 16:23Big majorities of people
want efficient government, -
16:23 - 16:28an end to endless,
aggressive wars that boomerang. -
16:28 - 16:33They want clean elections
and fair rules for voters and candidates. -
16:33 - 16:36These are changes
that bring people together, -
16:36 - 16:38changes Congress can make happen.
-
16:38 - 16:41People around the world favor democracy,
-
16:41 - 16:45because it brings the best
out of its inhabitants and its leaders. -
16:45 - 16:48But this objective requires citizens
to want to spend time -
16:48 - 16:51on this great opportunity
called democracy, -
16:51 - 16:53between and at elections.
-
16:54 - 16:57History gives examples
that encourage us to believe -
16:57 - 17:00that breaking through power
is easier than we think. -
17:00 - 17:03People say to me,
"I don't know what to do!" -
17:03 - 17:05Start to learn by doing.
-
17:05 - 17:07The more they practice citizen action,
-
17:07 - 17:09the more skilled and innovative
they become at it. -
17:10 - 17:14Like learning a trade, a profession,
a hobby, learning how to swim, -
17:14 - 17:17their doubts, prejudgments and hesitancy
-
17:17 - 17:20begin to melt away
in the crucible of action. -
17:21 - 17:24Their arguments for change
become deeper and sharper. -
17:24 - 17:28From 1965 to 1966,
-
17:28 - 17:31when I was making the case
for safer automobiles, -
17:31 - 17:34I realized that there were a lot
of industries making a lot of money -
17:34 - 17:38from dealing with
the horrific results of crashes: -
17:38 - 17:42medical care, insurance sales,
repairing cars ... -
17:42 - 17:47There was a perverse incentive
to do nothing but maintain the status quo. -
17:47 - 17:51By contrast, preventing these tragedies
-
17:51 - 17:55frees consumer dollars to spend or save
in voluntary [ways] -
17:55 - 17:57for better livelihoods.
-
17:57 - 18:02What it takes is a small number of people
to exert their civic muscle, -
18:02 - 18:04both as individuals and organized groups,
-
18:04 - 18:07on our legal decision makers.
-
18:07 - 18:12Ideally, it only takes a few enlightened
rich people contributing funds -
18:12 - 18:17to accelerate citizen efforts
against the commanders of greed and power. -
18:17 - 18:20Why, in our past, rich people
donated essential money -
18:20 - 18:25for the antislavery, women's right
to vote and civil rights movements. -
18:25 - 18:26We should remember that.
-
18:26 - 18:28With the onset of climate catastrophe,
-
18:28 - 18:33every one of us needs to have
a higher estimate of our own significance, -
18:33 - 18:36of our own sustained
dedication to the civic life, -
18:36 - 18:40as part of a normal way of daily living,
-
18:40 - 18:43along with our personal family life.
-
18:43 - 18:46Showing up thoughtfully
is half of democracy. -
18:46 - 18:49That's what advances life, liberty
and the pursuit of happiness. -
18:50 - 18:53Remember, our country
is full of problems we don't deserve -
18:53 - 18:56and solutions which we do not apply.
-
18:56 - 19:01That gap is a democracy gap
that no power can stop us from closing. -
19:01 - 19:04We owe this to our posterity.
-
19:04 - 19:06Don't we want our descendants,
-
19:06 - 19:10instead of cursing us
for our shortsighted neglect, -
19:10 - 19:12don't we want them to bless our foresight
-
19:12 - 19:17and bright horizons which can
fulfill their lives peacefully -
19:17 - 19:19and advance the common good?
-
19:19 - 19:20Thank you.
-
19:21 - 19:23(Applause)
- Title:
- What it takes to create social change against all odds
- Speaker:
- Ralph Nader
- Description:
-
Over his decades-long career as a political activist, Ralph Nader has helped expose some of the greatest misdeeds of large corporations. You may be familiar with the real-world changes his work sparked: the Clean Air Act, automobile safety laws, regulation of the tobacco industry and more. Tracing the arc of his time advocating for change, Nader shares how he helped catalyze social progress against overwhelming odds -- and shows how you can participate in advancing the common good for generations to come.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDTalks
- Duration:
- 19:38
marialadias edited English subtitles for What it takes to create social change against all odds | ||
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Joseph Geni edited English subtitles for What it takes to create social change against all odds |