An Unreasonable Man is a great movie about Ralph Nader. But I was deeply disappointed by the fact that it focused deeply on how Ralph’s “spoiler” role in the 2000 election tarnished his legacy, while failing to mention the flaws in our election system that unnecessarily allow for “spoilers” to exist. Instant Runoff Voting, which I helped pass in Ferndale, Michigan in 2004, is a pivotal measure that can open up a fair playing field to more voices in our political system by eliminating the “spoiler” problem.

In this post, I call on Ralph Nader, the filmmakers of An Unreasonable Man, Nader’s supporters and detractors, and everyone interviewed in the film, to join together to promote such election reform and groups like Fairvote that advocate for them. By refocusing our discussion and energy away from the flaws of Ralph Nader or the Democratic Party and onto these reforms, we can still turn the shameful aftermath of the 2000 election into a success that brings constructive change and lasting justice to our election system.

In just the latest demonstration of how widespread video and web 2.0 technology is democratizing our media and revealing previously underexposed sides of our culture, much of the country has already seen footage of student Andrew Meyer being held down and tasered by police after rather angrily confronting Senator John Kerry with some controversial questions at a forum and resisting arrest. But more fascinating to me than the event itself have been the strongly emotional responses, both by those defending Meyer and those defending the police, which indicate the extent to which the incident evokes, for many of us, past experiences, defense mechanisms and projections revolving around issues of power, anger and authority. In this post, I discuss my view of this controversial story in the context of our current social state and the possible psychological and developmental roots of the actions of Andrew Meyer and the police, as well as people’s various responses.

Reading Ishmael by Daniel Quinn in 1997 first exposed me to the idea that civilization is an inherently unsustainable and unhealthy social structure. But it took further reading of works by Quinn and Derrick Jensen, along with greater experience, to help me increasingly incorporate this understanding into my life. Most recently, Jensen’s work Endgame impacted me with a particularly convincing presentation of civilization’s shortcomings from the concrete and powerful perspective of physical resource dynamics.

In this post, I examine the paramount importance of internalizing the implications of our social structure’s fundamental flaws, the experience of facing the impact of this understanding, why it is to difficult to fully internalize, the variety of ways that people respond to the issue, and how my growing acceptance of it has influenced my life journey. I then discuss the process of finding our optimal roles in the re-emergence of health and sustainability and the invaluable role of community and support as we do so.

Conclusion (Part 8 of 8)

Note: This is Part 8 of an eight-part series. You may want to start at Part 1 of the series, Summary and Table of Contents.
There are tremendous challenges in our world today. Michael Moore’s films have been some of the most powerful channels through which many of us have become aware […]

Campaign, Election and Media Reform: Levers and Leverage Points for Improving Our Society (Part 5 of 8)

Note: This is Part 5 of an eight-part series. You may want to start at Part 1 of the series, Summary and Table of Contents.

Moral Courage Alone Isn’t Enough
Clearly, moral courage, as discussed in Part 3, Moral Courage: A […]

Moral Courage as a Central Theme in Michael Moore’s Work and Life (Part 4 of 8)

Note: This is Part 4 of an eight-part series. You may want to start at Part 1 of the series, Summary and Table of Contents.
I believe, and seeing Sicko again reinforced, that Michael Moore is one of our greatest examples […]

Moral Courage: A Required Virtue for Improving Our Society (Part 3 of 8)

Note: This is Part 3 of an eight-part series. You may want to start at Part 1 of the series, Summary and Table of Contents.

Psychological Dissonance: The Cost of Keeping Quiet
In our society, we have a great number of “elephants in the room” […]

Introduction (Part 2 of 8)
Note: This is Part 2 of an eight-part series. You may want to start at Part 1 of the series, Summary and Table of Contents.

Sicko and Beyond: New Inspiration from Michael Moore
Two weeks ago, I finally saw Michael Moore’s new movie about the health care industry, Sicko. As usual I was […]

In his previous films, Michael Moore opened minds regarding injustices in deeply emotional areas including corporate responsibility, gun violence, 9/11 and the Iraq War. In Sicko, and his related appearances, he has pursued change in the American health care system. But Moore’s work and life embody two underappreciated themes even more central to social change in America – moral courage and campaign, election and media reform. In this eight-part series of posts, I explore the importance of these intertwined themes and their relation to Michael Moore. I then propose a formula for focusing influential individuals and organizations on these core leverage points to stimulate fundamental, sustainable sociopolitical reform in America.