Randa Abdel-Fattah

She convinces him to visit Representative Mackey's office. When he walks in, he's a towering presence.

She convinces him to visit Representative Mackey's office. When he walks in, he's a towering presence.

And so Nader said his piece. Write a bill with teeth that wrangles this Wild West auto industry and saves lives in the process.

And so Nader said his piece. Write a bill with teeth that wrangles this Wild West auto industry and saves lives in the process.

And with that, their work together really began. And so did the pushback.

And with that, their work together really began. And so did the pushback.

Nader suspected they were wiretapping his phone. He says he'd get strange calls in the middle of the night, threatening and harassing him.

Nader suspected they were wiretapping his phone. He says he'd get strange calls in the middle of the night, threatening and harassing him.

A private detective who investigated Nader later denied making any attempt to put him in a compromising position with these women. But he did admit to surveilling Nader and trying to dig up dirt on his private life.

A private detective who investigated Nader later denied making any attempt to put him in a compromising position with these women. But he did admit to surveilling Nader and trying to dig up dirt on his private life.

Ralph Nader. Ralph Nader. Ralph Nader. Ralph Nader. Ralph Nader. Ralph Nader. Ralph Nader. Ralph Nader. Ralph Nader. Ralph Nader. Ralph Nader.

Ralph Nader. Ralph Nader. Ralph Nader. Ralph Nader. Ralph Nader. Ralph Nader. Ralph Nader. Ralph Nader. Ralph Nader. Ralph Nader. Ralph Nader.

Ralph Nader. Ralph Nader. Ralph Nader. Ralph Nader. Ralph Nader. Ralph Nader. Ralph Nader. Ralph Nader. Ralph Nader. Ralph Nader.

Ralph Nader. Ralph Nader. Ralph Nader. Ralph Nader. Ralph Nader. Ralph Nader. Ralph Nader. Ralph Nader. Ralph Nader. Ralph Nader.

He's on Saturday Night Live as a parody of himself.

He's on Saturday Night Live as a parody of himself.

And he's on all the popular interview shows.

And he's on all the popular interview shows.

including one that was briefly co-hosted by the countercultural icons of the era, who asked him to weigh in on the power of voting.

including one that was briefly co-hosted by the countercultural icons of the era, who asked him to weigh in on the power of voting.

That's a young Ralph Nader talking about car safety.

That's a young Ralph Nader talking about car safety.

If people didn't know Ralph Nader's name before, by the 1970s, Nader was a household name.

If people didn't know Ralph Nader's name before, by the 1970s, Nader was a household name.

For Nader, his fame served one purpose and one purpose only, to continue demanding more protections for consumers.

For Nader, his fame served one purpose and one purpose only, to continue demanding more protections for consumers.

This is Joan Claybrook again. She stayed in touch with Ralph and continued working on car safety issues.

This is Joan Claybrook again. She stayed in touch with Ralph and continued working on car safety issues.

Yes, that Ralph Nader. He's made four runs for the presidency as a third-party candidate, most infamously in the year 2000, when some people felt that his run led to Democratic candidate Al Gore losing to Republican candidate George W. Bush.

Yes, that Ralph Nader. He's made four runs for the presidency as a third-party candidate, most infamously in the year 2000, when some people felt that his run led to Democratic candidate Al Gore losing to Republican candidate George W. Bush.

The wins were stacking up for Nader and the consumer movement throughout the 1970s. But not everyone was on board with this growing consumer movement and Ralph Nader's vision of an energized consumer citizen.

The wins were stacking up for Nader and the consumer movement throughout the 1970s. But not everyone was on board with this growing consumer movement and Ralph Nader's vision of an energized consumer citizen.

OK, so that's definitely an exaggeration. But he's right that for a long time, he was one of the most trusted people in America. Some people even called him St. Ralph. He's the reason any new car that gets sold today has to comply with a set of federal safety standards.

OK, so that's definitely an exaggeration. But he's right that for a long time, he was one of the most trusted people in America. Some people even called him St. Ralph. He's the reason any new car that gets sold today has to comply with a set of federal safety standards.

Business leaders and, of course, the car industry had long been wary of Nader.

Business leaders and, of course, the car industry had long been wary of Nader.

But as the power of the consumer movement grew, a conservative political backlash started to take shape, spearheaded by a soon-to-be U.S. Supreme Court justice named Lewis Powell.

But as the power of the consumer movement grew, a conservative political backlash started to take shape, spearheaded by a soon-to-be U.S. Supreme Court justice named Lewis Powell.

Coming up, big business strikes back.

Coming up, big business strikes back.

It's the summer of 1976. The country is celebrating the nation's bicentennial anniversary, and the mood is especially festive in Plains, Georgia.

It's the summer of 1976. The country is celebrating the nation's bicentennial anniversary, and the mood is especially festive in Plains, Georgia.

Where Democratic presidential candidate Jimmy Carter, a self-proclaimed consumer advocate, is playing a game of softball with family, Secret Service agents, and... Nader is appointed to be the umpire. Ralph Nader.

Where Democratic presidential candidate Jimmy Carter, a self-proclaimed consumer advocate, is playing a game of softball with family, Secret Service agents, and... Nader is appointed to be the umpire. Ralph Nader.

Nader had traveled down to Georgia to outline what he thought needed to be done to further consumer rights. Number one on that list? Create a consumer protection agency.

Nader had traveled down to Georgia to outline what he thought needed to be done to further consumer rights. Number one on that list? Create a consumer protection agency.

And car safety was only the beginning. Because Nader felt that in a country increasingly dominated by corporations controlling our access to basic goods, the people who use those goods, the consumers, had rights. He fought to guarantee them. And in many cases, he won.

And car safety was only the beginning. Because Nader felt that in a country increasingly dominated by corporations controlling our access to basic goods, the people who use those goods, the consumers, had rights. He fought to guarantee them. And in many cases, he won.

Carter doesn't always agree with Nader's calls. It's a spirited game. And in many ways, it's a symbolic one, too.

Carter doesn't always agree with Nader's calls. It's a spirited game. And in many ways, it's a symbolic one, too.

Yeah, not subtle.

Yeah, not subtle.

By the late 70s, early 80s, the political climate was beginning to change as high inflation, unemployment, and gas shortages rattled the country.

By the late 70s, early 80s, the political climate was beginning to change as high inflation, unemployment, and gas shortages rattled the country.

But it was too late. Carter had lost the trust of the people, and Nader's call for more regulations wasn't resonating anymore. In their stead was a new voice.

But it was too late. Carter had lost the trust of the people, and Nader's call for more regulations wasn't resonating anymore. In their stead was a new voice.

In 1981, when Ronald Reagan became president, he immediately started to roll back many of the regulatory protections that Nader and the consumer movement had fought for, including gutting the EPA's budget and refocusing OSHA to benefit small businesses rather than workers.

In 1981, when Ronald Reagan became president, he immediately started to roll back many of the regulatory protections that Nader and the consumer movement had fought for, including gutting the EPA's budget and refocusing OSHA to benefit small businesses rather than workers.

The heyday of the consumer movement was over.

The heyday of the consumer movement was over.

And in 2000, he tried to take on an even more public role.

And in 2000, he tried to take on an even more public role.

Once hailed as a knight in shining armor, Nader was no longer the heroic consumer crusader. Far from it. He was now the country's nag, the irresponsible spoiler.

Once hailed as a knight in shining armor, Nader was no longer the heroic consumer crusader. Far from it. He was now the country's nag, the irresponsible spoiler.

Whatever you think of his decision to run for president, that belief that politicians, like corporations, should be accountable to us, the citizens, it's a big part of Nader's legacy.

Whatever you think of his decision to run for president, that belief that politicians, like corporations, should be accountable to us, the citizens, it's a big part of Nader's legacy.

Again, Nader's longtime friend and one-time enemy, Joan Claybrook.

Again, Nader's longtime friend and one-time enemy, Joan Claybrook.

And with or without him, we're still living in a world that calls for this kind of consumer advocacy.

And with or without him, we're still living in a world that calls for this kind of consumer advocacy.

And today, when product recalls are at the highest level since before the pandemic, when our own expectations of safety and government trust are eroding, we're going to revisit a time where a generation of people felt activated and empowered to take matters into their own hands, to demand the government back them up so they could stand up to corporations and say, enough is enough.

And today, when product recalls are at the highest level since before the pandemic, when our own expectations of safety and government trust are eroding, we're going to revisit a time where a generation of people felt activated and empowered to take matters into their own hands, to demand the government back them up so they could stand up to corporations and say, enough is enough.

Trust in the government has been low for decades. A recent Pew study found that less than a quarter of Americans believe in Washington to do the right thing most of the time.

Trust in the government has been low for decades. A recent Pew study found that less than a quarter of Americans believe in Washington to do the right thing most of the time.

To this day, at 90 years old, Ralph Nader still believes that the answer to a democracy that works, lies in us, the consumer citizens of America.

To this day, at 90 years old, Ralph Nader still believes that the answer to a democracy that works, lies in us, the consumer citizens of America.

That's it for this week's show. I'm Randa Abdel-Fattah.

That's it for this week's show. I'm Randa Abdel-Fattah.

This episode was produced by me,

This episode was produced by me,

Music for this episode was composed by Ramtin and his band, Drop Electric, which includes Anya Mizani, Navid Marvi, Sho Fujiwara.

Music for this episode was composed by Ramtin and his band, Drop Electric, which includes Anya Mizani, Navid Marvi, Sho Fujiwara.

Special thanks also to the producers of Daytime Revolution, Global Image Works, and Steve Skrovan for providing us with archival footage of Ralph Nader, as well as Yoshikazu Fujimoto of Kodo, Sarah Gilbert, and the North American Taiko Taikai.

Special thanks also to the producers of Daytime Revolution, Global Image Works, and Steve Skrovan for providing us with archival footage of Ralph Nader, as well as Yoshikazu Fujimoto of Kodo, Sarah Gilbert, and the North American Taiko Taikai.

And finally, if you have an idea or like something you heard on the show, please write us at ThruLine at NPR.org.

And finally, if you have an idea or like something you heard on the show, please write us at ThruLine at NPR.org.

I'm Randa Abdel-Fattah.

I'm Randa Abdel-Fattah.

Coming up, Nader opens up the dream of the American car and takes a look under the hood.

Coming up, Nader opens up the dream of the American car and takes a look under the hood.

In the 1950s, the car was becoming as much a symbol of American freedom as the bald eagle.

In the 1950s, the car was becoming as much a symbol of American freedom as the bald eagle.

Ralph Nader was born in 1934.

Ralph Nader was born in 1934.

Nader came of age during the post-war era, a time when peace and economic prosperity collided with looming fears of nuclear war. His parents wanted Nader and his siblings to trust their own instincts instead of blindly accepting what they were told by other authority figures.

Nader came of age during the post-war era, a time when peace and economic prosperity collided with looming fears of nuclear war. His parents wanted Nader and his siblings to trust their own instincts instead of blindly accepting what they were told by other authority figures.

In the heyday of automobiles, amid all these commercials with gleaming tail fins and chrome bumpers, Nader saw through the romanticism of the open road, straight to its dark underbelly. The American dream was more of an American massacre.

In the heyday of automobiles, amid all these commercials with gleaming tail fins and chrome bumpers, Nader saw through the romanticism of the open road, straight to its dark underbelly. The American dream was more of an American massacre.

Fatal car crashes were nearly five times more common back then. And it seemed like everyone knew someone who'd been in a serious accident. But the prevailing narrative was that this was a matter of user error. People were being reckless drivers. And that didn't make sense to Nader. How could it be that commuting to work or going grocery shopping could amount to a death sentence for so many people?

Fatal car crashes were nearly five times more common back then. And it seemed like everyone knew someone who'd been in a serious accident. But the prevailing narrative was that this was a matter of user error. People were being reckless drivers. And that didn't make sense to Nader. How could it be that commuting to work or going grocery shopping could amount to a death sentence for so many people?

And when I was at law school... He set out to bust the myth of the open road.

And when I was at law school... He set out to bust the myth of the open road.

But that informed consumer citizen first had to be awakened. And so Nader threw up his bat signal to concern consumers across the nation. It came in the form of a book that he started to write after graduating law school. And the book opened with the case of one car in particular.

But that informed consumer citizen first had to be awakened. And so Nader threw up his bat signal to concern consumers across the nation. It came in the form of a book that he started to write after graduating law school. And the book opened with the case of one car in particular.

These are excerpts from that book, Unsafe at Any Speed, the designed-in dangers of the American automobile.

These are excerpts from that book, Unsafe at Any Speed, the designed-in dangers of the American automobile.

Publicly, General Motors had nothing to say. But the allegations hit hard, because GM was a titan. At the time the book was published, they were the world's largest car manufacturer, responsible for nearly half of all U.S. automotive sales.

Publicly, General Motors had nothing to say. But the allegations hit hard, because GM was a titan. At the time the book was published, they were the world's largest car manufacturer, responsible for nearly half of all U.S. automotive sales.

It didn't take long for Unsafe at Any Speed to start drawing the attention of important people in the capital, including a young woman who would be instrumental in turning Ralph's words into action.

It didn't take long for Unsafe at Any Speed to start drawing the attention of important people in the capital, including a young woman who would be instrumental in turning Ralph's words into action.

At the time, Joan was in Washington, D.C., on a fellowship working with James A. Mackey, a U.S. representative from Georgia.

At the time, Joan was in Washington, D.C., on a fellowship working with James A. Mackey, a U.S. representative from Georgia.

The book hit home for Joan.

The book hit home for Joan.

Joan knew that Nader's allegations against the auto industry were monumental. And Representative Mackey tasked her with tracking down Nader and getting him into the office for a discussion.

Joan knew that Nader's allegations against the auto industry were monumental. And Representative Mackey tasked her with tracking down Nader and getting him into the office for a discussion.

All she had to go off of was a phone number.

All she had to go off of was a phone number.

Coming up, we meet our ancestors in a cave of forgotten dreams.

Coming up, we meet our ancestors in a cave of forgotten dreams.

There were mysterious paintings on the walls depicting life in an ancient world. Human handprints in various sizes, geometric shapes, human figures and animals, lions, bison, horses, bears, species that lived in Europe during the upper Paleolithic era, around 30,000 years ago. They would come to be known as the Chauvet cave paintings.

There were mysterious paintings on the walls depicting life in an ancient world. Human handprints in various sizes, geometric shapes, human figures and animals, lions, bison, horses, bears, species that lived in Europe during the upper Paleolithic era, around 30,000 years ago. They would come to be known as the Chauvet cave paintings.

These works of art were made by people who would have been recognizable to us. People who on some level must have valued art. Because they had to go to some great lengths just to make them.

These works of art were made by people who would have been recognizable to us. People who on some level must have valued art. Because they had to go to some great lengths just to make them.

The paintings come in two colors, black and red. They run across the cave wall like some ancient message left behind for future people to discover. And here's what makes them even trippier. If you use a torch fire to illuminate the caves in just the right way, the paintings appear to be animated.

The paintings come in two colors, black and red. They run across the cave wall like some ancient message left behind for future people to discover. And here's what makes them even trippier. If you use a torch fire to illuminate the caves in just the right way, the paintings appear to be animated.

Where did these wild images come from? How did our ancient ancestors pull ideas from the recesses of their minds and place them onto a rock canvas? Siddhartha believes that the key to answering these questions comes from dreams.

Where did these wild images come from? How did our ancient ancestors pull ideas from the recesses of their minds and place them onto a rock canvas? Siddhartha believes that the key to answering these questions comes from dreams.

You know, it's interesting because you mentioned that dreams are a way to, you know, on the one hand, from a positive perspective, they're a way to imagine our way out of a problem. But on the other hand, they're also potentially misleading.

You know, it's interesting because you mentioned that dreams are a way to, you know, on the one hand, from a positive perspective, they're a way to imagine our way out of a problem. But on the other hand, they're also potentially misleading.

In the 19th and early 20th century, some philosophers and psychologists began to recognize and study dreams. Coming up, the story of a scientist from Austria who sparked a movement with a radical idea about how dreams can help us understand mental illness.

In the 19th and early 20th century, some philosophers and psychologists began to recognize and study dreams. Coming up, the story of a scientist from Austria who sparked a movement with a radical idea about how dreams can help us understand mental illness.

For much of human history, dreams were considered messages from the deep. They were a source of inspiration, of ideas, and even guided the way many people lived their lives. But beginning in the 16th century in Europe, dreams lost much of their power. The Christian church saw dreams as a possible source of sin. Some philosophers regarded dream interpretation as nonsense.

For much of human history, dreams were considered messages from the deep. They were a source of inspiration, of ideas, and even guided the way many people lived their lives. But beginning in the 16th century in Europe, dreams lost much of their power. The Christian church saw dreams as a possible source of sin. Some philosophers regarded dream interpretation as nonsense.

One writer thought they were merely the result of indigestion.

One writer thought they were merely the result of indigestion.

Psychoanalysis is the idea that investigating the unconscious, often through dreams, can possibly treat the psychological symptoms patients are suffering, conditions or neuroses that people still experience today, like depression, anxiety, obsessive behavior, and so on.

Psychoanalysis is the idea that investigating the unconscious, often through dreams, can possibly treat the psychological symptoms patients are suffering, conditions or neuroses that people still experience today, like depression, anxiety, obsessive behavior, and so on.

Using his own dreams and his patients as evidence, Freud put forth an idea in a book called The Interpretation of Dreams that would become his lasting legacy.

Using his own dreams and his patients as evidence, Freud put forth an idea in a book called The Interpretation of Dreams that would become his lasting legacy.

But even after Freud published his book, it's not like everything instantly changed. Dreams were still mostly dismissed in the scientific community.

But even after Freud published his book, it's not like everything instantly changed. Dreams were still mostly dismissed in the scientific community.

It would take eight years to sell the first 600 copies of The Interpretation of Dreams. And for the first year and a half, no scientific journal reviewed it besides some psychological ones where Freud's book received negative reviews.

It would take eight years to sell the first 600 copies of The Interpretation of Dreams. And for the first year and a half, no scientific journal reviewed it besides some psychological ones where Freud's book received negative reviews.

One prominent psychologist warned that, quote, uncritical minds would be delighted to join in this play with ideas and would end up in complete mysticism and chaotic arbitrariness.

One prominent psychologist warned that, quote, uncritical minds would be delighted to join in this play with ideas and would end up in complete mysticism and chaotic arbitrariness.

This idea that people dream for a reason, that it's a way to cope with problems the conscious mind can't do while it's awake, was radical. That by reflecting on your dreams, you were confronting something deep inside of you that followed like a shadow you didn't know was there.

This idea that people dream for a reason, that it's a way to cope with problems the conscious mind can't do while it's awake, was radical. That by reflecting on your dreams, you were confronting something deep inside of you that followed like a shadow you didn't know was there.

As all of this was playing out in the scientific world, the human experience was changing. Freud grew up during a time before electricity was widely available, when the sun and moon dictated sleeping patterns, when daily life revolved around the seasons.

As all of this was playing out in the scientific world, the human experience was changing. Freud grew up during a time before electricity was widely available, when the sun and moon dictated sleeping patterns, when daily life revolved around the seasons.

In today's world, where sleep is being cut short, caffeinated drinks are keeping us awake, and screens vie for our attention, it's become harder and harder to dream.

In today's world, where sleep is being cut short, caffeinated drinks are keeping us awake, and screens vie for our attention, it's become harder and harder to dream.

I'm Randa Abdelfattah. And you've been listening to ThruLine from NPR.

I'm Randa Abdelfattah. And you've been listening to ThruLine from NPR.

And me. And.

And me. And.

Thanks also to Adriana Tapia for her production on this episode. Deb George for editing help. Tamar Charney. And Anya Grunman.

Thanks also to Adriana Tapia for her production on this episode. Deb George for editing help. Tamar Charney. And Anya Grunman.

Music for this episode was composed by Ramtin and his band, Drop Electric, which includes...

Music for this episode was composed by Ramtin and his band, Drop Electric, which includes...

And finally, if you have an idea or like something you heard on the show, please write us at ThruLine at NPR.org.

And finally, if you have an idea or like something you heard on the show, please write us at ThruLine at NPR.org.

You know, sometimes I struggle with that idea of that the dreams are actually telling us something real because... My dad passed away, and hearing you describe that, I had dreams. They were the most vivid dreams I've had in my life. And part of me wants to dissociate them from my reality, sort of have them be in their own space. But what you're describing feels like...

You know, sometimes I struggle with that idea of that the dreams are actually telling us something real because... My dad passed away, and hearing you describe that, I had dreams. They were the most vivid dreams I've had in my life. And part of me wants to dissociate them from my reality, sort of have them be in their own space. But what you're describing feels like...

almost like dreams are a window into our minds, into some deeper consciousness, rather than a random assortment of things that just like happen in our mind.

almost like dreams are a window into our minds, into some deeper consciousness, rather than a random assortment of things that just like happen in our mind.

This is Siddhartha Ribeiro.

This is Siddhartha Ribeiro.

Siddhartha also wrote the book The Oracle of Night, The History and Science of Dreams.

Siddhartha also wrote the book The Oracle of Night, The History and Science of Dreams.

After my dad passed and he began showing up in my dreams, I found myself thinking back to a conversation we'd had a few years earlier. It's the only time I can remember my dad explicitly talking about dreams. It all started when my mom mentioned that a mysterious thing had happened to a friend of hers. She dreamed about a loved one right at the moment that loved one died.

After my dad passed and he began showing up in my dreams, I found myself thinking back to a conversation we'd had a few years earlier. It's the only time I can remember my dad explicitly talking about dreams. It all started when my mom mentioned that a mysterious thing had happened to a friend of hers. She dreamed about a loved one right at the moment that loved one died.

My mom believed God was sending her friend a message in that dream. But my dad kind of chuckled and said, dreams don't work like that. He was a doctor who specialized in helping people with sleep issues, after all. If I'm being honest, he probably would have trolled me for making this episode. Eh, bad dreams. It's probably sleep apnea, you would say. But there was no convincing my mom.

My mom believed God was sending her friend a message in that dream. But my dad kind of chuckled and said, dreams don't work like that. He was a doctor who specialized in helping people with sleep issues, after all. If I'm being honest, he probably would have trolled me for making this episode. Eh, bad dreams. It's probably sleep apnea, you would say. But there was no convincing my mom.

She reminded him that she knew she'd have two daughters years before me and my sister came along because two cats with green eyes had come to her in a dream. We both have green eyes. For a long time, I wasn't sure who was right. I made the mistake of thinking it was an either-or. Dreams either meant nothing or they were the key to unlocking everything.

She reminded him that she knew she'd have two daughters years before me and my sister came along because two cats with green eyes had come to her in a dream. We both have green eyes. For a long time, I wasn't sure who was right. I made the mistake of thinking it was an either-or. Dreams either meant nothing or they were the key to unlocking everything.

But now, when I see my dad in a dream and he tells me he's proud of me, that I'm doing okay, well, I don't know what to make of that exactly. Is it God? Is it my mind trying to heal itself? Is it just a bad night's sleep? Is it all three?

But now, when I see my dad in a dream and he tells me he's proud of me, that I'm doing okay, well, I don't know what to make of that exactly. Is it God? Is it my mind trying to heal itself? Is it just a bad night's sleep? Is it all three?

History can seem big and imposing, but it's always intensely personal. It's all of our individual experiences that add up to historical events.

History can seem big and imposing, but it's always intensely personal. It's all of our individual experiences that add up to historical events.

I'm Randa Abdel-Fattah.

I'm Randa Abdel-Fattah.

I don't know what I want to do. I don't know what I want to do.

I don't know what I want to do. I don't know what I want to do.

That's it for this week's show. I'm Randa Abdelfattah.

That's it for this week's show. I'm Randa Abdelfattah.

Irene Noguchi.

Irene Noguchi.

Thanks for listening.

Thanks for listening.

I'm Randa Abdel-Fattah.

I'm Randa Abdel-Fattah.

She convinces him to visit Representative Mackey's office. When he walks in, he's a towering presence.

And so Nader said his piece. Write a bill with teeth that wrangles this Wild West auto industry and saves lives in the process.

And with that, their work together really began. And so did the pushback.

Nader suspected they were wiretapping his phone. He says he'd get strange calls in the middle of the night, threatening and harassing him.

A private detective who investigated Nader later denied making any attempt to put him in a compromising position with these women. But he did admit to surveilling Nader and trying to dig up dirt on his private life.

Ralph Nader. Ralph Nader. Ralph Nader. Ralph Nader. Ralph Nader. Ralph Nader. Ralph Nader. Ralph Nader. Ralph Nader. Ralph Nader. Ralph Nader.

Ralph Nader. Ralph Nader. Ralph Nader. Ralph Nader. Ralph Nader. Ralph Nader. Ralph Nader. Ralph Nader. Ralph Nader. Ralph Nader.

He's on Saturday Night Live as a parody of himself.

And he's on all the popular interview shows.

including one that was briefly co-hosted by the countercultural icons of the era, who asked him to weigh in on the power of voting.

That's a young Ralph Nader talking about car safety.

If people didn't know Ralph Nader's name before, by the 1970s, Nader was a household name.

For Nader, his fame served one purpose and one purpose only, to continue demanding more protections for consumers.

This is Joan Claybrook again. She stayed in touch with Ralph and continued working on car safety issues.

Yes, that Ralph Nader. He's made four runs for the presidency as a third-party candidate, most infamously in the year 2000, when some people felt that his run led to Democratic candidate Al Gore losing to Republican candidate George W. Bush.

The wins were stacking up for Nader and the consumer movement throughout the 1970s. But not everyone was on board with this growing consumer movement and Ralph Nader's vision of an energized consumer citizen.

OK, so that's definitely an exaggeration. But he's right that for a long time, he was one of the most trusted people in America. Some people even called him St. Ralph. He's the reason any new car that gets sold today has to comply with a set of federal safety standards.

Business leaders and, of course, the car industry had long been wary of Nader.

But as the power of the consumer movement grew, a conservative political backlash started to take shape, spearheaded by a soon-to-be U.S. Supreme Court justice named Lewis Powell.

Coming up, big business strikes back.

It's the summer of 1976. The country is celebrating the nation's bicentennial anniversary, and the mood is especially festive in Plains, Georgia.

Where Democratic presidential candidate Jimmy Carter, a self-proclaimed consumer advocate, is playing a game of softball with family, Secret Service agents, and... Nader is appointed to be the umpire. Ralph Nader.

Nader had traveled down to Georgia to outline what he thought needed to be done to further consumer rights. Number one on that list? Create a consumer protection agency.

And car safety was only the beginning. Because Nader felt that in a country increasingly dominated by corporations controlling our access to basic goods, the people who use those goods, the consumers, had rights. He fought to guarantee them. And in many cases, he won.

Carter doesn't always agree with Nader's calls. It's a spirited game. And in many ways, it's a symbolic one, too.

Yeah, not subtle.

By the late 70s, early 80s, the political climate was beginning to change as high inflation, unemployment, and gas shortages rattled the country.

But it was too late. Carter had lost the trust of the people, and Nader's call for more regulations wasn't resonating anymore. In their stead was a new voice.

In 1981, when Ronald Reagan became president, he immediately started to roll back many of the regulatory protections that Nader and the consumer movement had fought for, including gutting the EPA's budget and refocusing OSHA to benefit small businesses rather than workers.

The heyday of the consumer movement was over.

And in 2000, he tried to take on an even more public role.

Once hailed as a knight in shining armor, Nader was no longer the heroic consumer crusader. Far from it. He was now the country's nag, the irresponsible spoiler.

Whatever you think of his decision to run for president, that belief that politicians, like corporations, should be accountable to us, the citizens, it's a big part of Nader's legacy.

Again, Nader's longtime friend and one-time enemy, Joan Claybrook.

And with or without him, we're still living in a world that calls for this kind of consumer advocacy.

And today, when product recalls are at the highest level since before the pandemic, when our own expectations of safety and government trust are eroding, we're going to revisit a time where a generation of people felt activated and empowered to take matters into their own hands, to demand the government back them up so they could stand up to corporations and say, enough is enough.

Trust in the government has been low for decades. A recent Pew study found that less than a quarter of Americans believe in Washington to do the right thing most of the time.

To this day, at 90 years old, Ralph Nader still believes that the answer to a democracy that works, lies in us, the consumer citizens of America.

That's it for this week's show. I'm Randa Abdel-Fattah.

This episode was produced by me,

Music for this episode was composed by Ramtin and his band, Drop Electric, which includes Anya Mizani, Navid Marvi, Sho Fujiwara.

Special thanks also to the producers of Daytime Revolution, Global Image Works, and Steve Skrovan for providing us with archival footage of Ralph Nader, as well as Yoshikazu Fujimoto of Kodo, Sarah Gilbert, and the North American Taiko Taikai.

And finally, if you have an idea or like something you heard on the show, please write us at ThruLine at NPR.org.

I'm Randa Abdel-Fattah.

Coming up, Nader opens up the dream of the American car and takes a look under the hood.

In the 1950s, the car was becoming as much a symbol of American freedom as the bald eagle.

Ralph Nader was born in 1934.

Nader came of age during the post-war era, a time when peace and economic prosperity collided with looming fears of nuclear war. His parents wanted Nader and his siblings to trust their own instincts instead of blindly accepting what they were told by other authority figures.

In the heyday of automobiles, amid all these commercials with gleaming tail fins and chrome bumpers, Nader saw through the romanticism of the open road, straight to its dark underbelly. The American dream was more of an American massacre.

Fatal car crashes were nearly five times more common back then. And it seemed like everyone knew someone who'd been in a serious accident. But the prevailing narrative was that this was a matter of user error. People were being reckless drivers. And that didn't make sense to Nader. How could it be that commuting to work or going grocery shopping could amount to a death sentence for so many people?

And when I was at law school... He set out to bust the myth of the open road.

But that informed consumer citizen first had to be awakened. And so Nader threw up his bat signal to concern consumers across the nation. It came in the form of a book that he started to write after graduating law school. And the book opened with the case of one car in particular.

These are excerpts from that book, Unsafe at Any Speed, the designed-in dangers of the American automobile.

Publicly, General Motors had nothing to say. But the allegations hit hard, because GM was a titan. At the time the book was published, they were the world's largest car manufacturer, responsible for nearly half of all U.S. automotive sales.

It didn't take long for Unsafe at Any Speed to start drawing the attention of important people in the capital, including a young woman who would be instrumental in turning Ralph's words into action.

At the time, Joan was in Washington, D.C., on a fellowship working with James A. Mackey, a U.S. representative from Georgia.

The book hit home for Joan.

Joan knew that Nader's allegations against the auto industry were monumental. And Representative Mackey tasked her with tracking down Nader and getting him into the office for a discussion.

All she had to go off of was a phone number.

Coming up, we meet our ancestors in a cave of forgotten dreams.

There were mysterious paintings on the walls depicting life in an ancient world. Human handprints in various sizes, geometric shapes, human figures and animals, lions, bison, horses, bears, species that lived in Europe during the upper Paleolithic era, around 30,000 years ago. They would come to be known as the Chauvet cave paintings.

These works of art were made by people who would have been recognizable to us. People who on some level must have valued art. Because they had to go to some great lengths just to make them.

The paintings come in two colors, black and red. They run across the cave wall like some ancient message left behind for future people to discover. And here's what makes them even trippier. If you use a torch fire to illuminate the caves in just the right way, the paintings appear to be animated.

Where did these wild images come from? How did our ancient ancestors pull ideas from the recesses of their minds and place them onto a rock canvas? Siddhartha believes that the key to answering these questions comes from dreams.

You know, it's interesting because you mentioned that dreams are a way to, you know, on the one hand, from a positive perspective, they're a way to imagine our way out of a problem. But on the other hand, they're also potentially misleading.

In the 19th and early 20th century, some philosophers and psychologists began to recognize and study dreams. Coming up, the story of a scientist from Austria who sparked a movement with a radical idea about how dreams can help us understand mental illness.

For much of human history, dreams were considered messages from the deep. They were a source of inspiration, of ideas, and even guided the way many people lived their lives. But beginning in the 16th century in Europe, dreams lost much of their power. The Christian church saw dreams as a possible source of sin. Some philosophers regarded dream interpretation as nonsense.

One writer thought they were merely the result of indigestion.

Psychoanalysis is the idea that investigating the unconscious, often through dreams, can possibly treat the psychological symptoms patients are suffering, conditions or neuroses that people still experience today, like depression, anxiety, obsessive behavior, and so on.

Using his own dreams and his patients as evidence, Freud put forth an idea in a book called The Interpretation of Dreams that would become his lasting legacy.

But even after Freud published his book, it's not like everything instantly changed. Dreams were still mostly dismissed in the scientific community.

It would take eight years to sell the first 600 copies of The Interpretation of Dreams. And for the first year and a half, no scientific journal reviewed it besides some psychological ones where Freud's book received negative reviews.

One prominent psychologist warned that, quote, uncritical minds would be delighted to join in this play with ideas and would end up in complete mysticism and chaotic arbitrariness.

This idea that people dream for a reason, that it's a way to cope with problems the conscious mind can't do while it's awake, was radical. That by reflecting on your dreams, you were confronting something deep inside of you that followed like a shadow you didn't know was there.

As all of this was playing out in the scientific world, the human experience was changing. Freud grew up during a time before electricity was widely available, when the sun and moon dictated sleeping patterns, when daily life revolved around the seasons.

In today's world, where sleep is being cut short, caffeinated drinks are keeping us awake, and screens vie for our attention, it's become harder and harder to dream.

I'm Randa Abdelfattah. And you've been listening to ThruLine from NPR.

And me. And.

Thanks also to Adriana Tapia for her production on this episode. Deb George for editing help. Tamar Charney. And Anya Grunman.

Music for this episode was composed by Ramtin and his band, Drop Electric, which includes...

And finally, if you have an idea or like something you heard on the show, please write us at ThruLine at NPR.org.

You know, sometimes I struggle with that idea of that the dreams are actually telling us something real because... My dad passed away, and hearing you describe that, I had dreams. They were the most vivid dreams I've had in my life. And part of me wants to dissociate them from my reality, sort of have them be in their own space. But what you're describing feels like...

almost like dreams are a window into our minds, into some deeper consciousness, rather than a random assortment of things that just like happen in our mind.

This is Siddhartha Ribeiro.

Siddhartha also wrote the book The Oracle of Night, The History and Science of Dreams.

After my dad passed and he began showing up in my dreams, I found myself thinking back to a conversation we'd had a few years earlier. It's the only time I can remember my dad explicitly talking about dreams. It all started when my mom mentioned that a mysterious thing had happened to a friend of hers. She dreamed about a loved one right at the moment that loved one died.

My mom believed God was sending her friend a message in that dream. But my dad kind of chuckled and said, dreams don't work like that. He was a doctor who specialized in helping people with sleep issues, after all. If I'm being honest, he probably would have trolled me for making this episode. Eh, bad dreams. It's probably sleep apnea, you would say. But there was no convincing my mom.

She reminded him that she knew she'd have two daughters years before me and my sister came along because two cats with green eyes had come to her in a dream. We both have green eyes. For a long time, I wasn't sure who was right. I made the mistake of thinking it was an either-or. Dreams either meant nothing or they were the key to unlocking everything.

But now, when I see my dad in a dream and he tells me he's proud of me, that I'm doing okay, well, I don't know what to make of that exactly. Is it God? Is it my mind trying to heal itself? Is it just a bad night's sleep? Is it all three?

History can seem big and imposing, but it's always intensely personal. It's all of our individual experiences that add up to historical events.

I'm Randa Abdel-Fattah.

I don't know what I want to do. I don't know what I want to do.

That's it for this week's show. I'm Randa Abdelfattah.

Irene Noguchi.

Thanks for listening.

I'm Randa Abdel-Fattah.