American lawyer and consumer activist Ralph Nader, whose book 'Unsafe at Any Speed', led to the passage of improved car safety regulations. He is at a Senate hearing at Washington triggered by his publication.

American lawyer and consumer activist Ralph Nader, whose book 'Unsafe at Any Speed', led to the passage of improved car safety regulations. He is at a Senate hearing at Washington triggered by his publication. / Getty Images

Whether it's pesticides in your cereal or the door plug flying off your airplane, consumers today have plenty of reasons to feel like corporations might not have their best interests at heart. At a moment where we're seeing unprecedented product recalls, and when trust in the government is near historic lows, we're going to revisit a time when a generation of people felt empowered to demand accountability from both companies and elected leaders — and got results. Today on the show, the story of the U.S. consumer movement and its controversial leader: the once famous, now infamous Ralph Nader.

Guests:

Ralph Nader, American political activist, author and consumer advocate.

Joan Claybrook, lawyer and former president of Public Citizen.

Paul Sabin, Randolph W. Townsend, Jr. Professor of History and Professor of American Studies at Yale University.

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Tags: unsafe at any speed  consumer democracy  consumer activitism  nader's raiders  auto industry  Ralph Nader