this post was submitted on 24 Jul 2026
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Technology

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[–] XLE@piefed.social 14 points 1 day ago (1 children)

We used to have standards for our vehicles

[–] calliope@retrolemmy.com 7 points 19 hours ago* (last edited 19 hours ago) (1 children)

This is actually really funny, because Ralph Nader literally started his activist career pointing out that they didn’t in 1965.

The book, critical of the automotive industry, argued that many American automobiles were generally unsafe to operate.

Auto manufacturers were eventually forced to add seatbelts and protection for roll-overs.

Nader’s book was cited as the reason to create what became the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

When the original bill was passed,

Speaker of the United States House of Representatives John William McCormack said the passage of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act was brought about by the "crusading spirit of one individual who believed he could do something: Ralph Nader.”

[–] randomwords@midwest.social 0 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

He also had to modify the corvair he claimed was unsafe to cause it to do unsafe things... Nader is a piece of shit.

[–] calliope@retrolemmy.com 4 points 7 hours ago* (last edited 7 hours ago) (1 children)

Oh totally, Nader is the piece of shit here…

In response to Nader's criticisms, GM attempted to sabotage Nader's reputation. It "(1) conducted a series of interviews with acquaintances of the plaintiff, 'questioning them about, and casting aspersions upon [his] political, social, racial and religious views; his integrity; his sexual proclivities and inclinations; and his personal habits'; (2) kept him under surveillance in public places for an unreasonable length of time; (3) caused him to be accosted by girls for the purpose of entrapping him into illicit relationships; (4) made threatening, harassing and obnoxious telephone calls to him; (5) tapped his telephone and eavesdropped, by means of mechanical and electronic equipment, on his private conversations with others; and (6) conducted a 'continuing' and harassing investigation of him."

Nader, on the other hand, literally took the money he won for GM’s harassment and intimidation and put it into a consumer protection organization.

Then

He went on to lobby for consumer rights, helping drive the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air Act, among others

You’re fucking delusional to pretend he was the bad guy in this situation.

[–] randomwords@midwest.social 1 points 5 hours ago

Whoa, dude, personal attack much?

Two things can be true. The car manufacturers are massive pieces of shit as most corporations are, but also Nader is a piece of shit...

He picked a target and fudged the data until it said what he wanted. Just because he was doing it to promote something good doesn't make it right.

https://www.nytimes.com/1972/07/21/archives/us-car-study-disputes-nader-on-corvair-safety-charge-in-65-us-car.html