Let's address the pathology behind this Nader hatred.... [View All]

Disclaimer: This is NOT about the November election--and for the record, I support (and donate to) Dennis Kucinich.


There is a resonant scene in a decidely mixed film from the 80's--Ridley Scott's Legend--that contains a bit of dialogue which reminds me of the vitriol that is spewed toward Ralph Nader on this website:

"The dreams of youth are the regrets of maturity."

The connotation of this quote is part and parcel to the pathology lurking beneath this growing hostility to Nader. Perhaps Michael Moore was correct when he wrote in "Stupid White Men" that Nader brings out self-loathing among those who once harbored Nader's ideals but later chose to live as the vaunted realist. Does any conservative Democrat (Lieberman or Gephardt, for example) draw the same degree of scorn as Nader--the man who played a large role in the passage of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act, the Wholesome Meat Act, the Clean Air Act, the Freedom of Information Act?


Several months ago, we learned of an incident in which Ralph Nader was hit with a pie at a public meeting. A good number of DUers, of course, laughed their asses off. In fact, there are a few posters who use the image of the creamed man as an avatar. Like John Claggart of Melville's Billy Bud, these DUers took pleasure in the thought of the virtuous man being so utterly humiliated.

And yet, had Bill Clinton been targeted in such a manner, these same DUers would have reacted to the incident with outrage--as if it were comparable to China's rape of Tibet. The man who presided over a sea of devastation in Iraq and Columbia would have garnered as much sympathy as Nader had drawn scorn.

Can Nader's quixotic quest for the White House explain the level of hostility around here, or is there something far deeper going on with some DUers?

As for myself, this trend has proved to be quite a learning experience: right-wingers aren't the only ones who enjoy crucifying their country's prophets.


P.S. Consider one other thing: the aforementioned quote from Legend was spoken by the film's villain--Lord Darkness.