[The 90’s election specials raw: Ralph Nader]

Raw footage for The 90's election specials. The tape begins with footage from a festival. A man plays protest-ish originals and a gospel group performs. "We Shall Overcome" is sung in a host of languages. A man speaks on the rise of Japan and the decline of the United States. Ralph Nader speaks on education, civic involvement, and the economy. Dr. Neal Bernard speaks against unhealthy food and draws parallels to addictive substances.

00:00Copy video clip URL Footage of Robert Allen(?) from the Revolution Circus at a festival in Washington, D.C. He plays a “corny song about a bad acid trip, only it isn’t really, it’s really about actual reality.” He plays several psychedelic protest-type originals.

05:31Copy video clip URL Robert plays a song whose chorus runs “I’m afraid we’re going to have to ask you to leave.” The song seems to be about unfavored music venues.

09:34Copy video clip URL Robert performs a song about advertising executives from R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., possibly titled “Thinking of Ways to Sell Death.” The song focuses on marketing cigarettes, specifically to blacks and in third-world countries.

14:09Copy video clip URL They ask Robert to say the words of his songs. He starts off speaking but soon is singing and playing again.

19:13Copy video clip URL Robert finishes the song for the second time. He says he came up with the song after reading about the company in the newspaper. He says he is embarrassed by the camera which he finds rather intimidating even if nothing is going to happen with the footage.

20:34Copy video clip URL Onstage a group sings “I’m on My Way.”

23:44Copy video clip URL The MC says that freedom is a constant struggle. The group sings a song of that title.

27:26Copy video clip URL The MC speaks on the unfortunate fact of past and present voting discrimination. A woman from South Africa speaks to the crowd, asking them to support the fight for equality and freedom in Africa. She sings with the group. They chant back and forth with the audience.

33:43Copy video clip URL The group performs “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around.”

36:34Copy video clip URL The audience and group sing “We Shall Overcome” featuring verses in a host of languages.

45:48Copy video clip URL Tape cuts to an outdoor interview. A man speaks about a recent visit to Japan. He says that Japan will definitely be the industrial powerhouse of the 21st century. He stresses the combination between industrial capacity and innovative technology present there. He says, however, that this success has come at a price on social happiness and social equality. He contrasts the young with the older generation, mentioning the aftermath of World War II.

53:56Copy video clip URL Man predicts that the United States will be a second rate industrial power. He draws a correlation between America and Athens, and Japan and Sparta. He says that Japan is allowing the United States to enjoy a growth rate that it does not work for and that Japanese investments in the United States will be withdrawn in the future.

59:54Copy video clip URL Man says that Americans think the United States is forever #1 because it has been #1, but that this is “palpably not true.” “Everyone thinks we’re the world leader, but we don’t have the resources. Is Japan ready to be a world leader? To sum it up, the answer is no.” He says that the United States is dependent on Japan to prevent a recession by buying treasury bills, for technological and manufacturing components, and for investment going into the 1990s. He sees this dependence as a problem because Japan is much smaller than the United States. He shares more stories of Japanese innovation.

1:19:38Copy video clip URL Cut to a Ralph Nader interview. Audio is out for the first minute and a half.

1:20:15Copy video clip URL Audio resumes as Nader speaks on his conception of civic education. He emphasizes that education should reflect issues and problems in society. He says that education and focus on the children comes last because there are groups who want to prevent exposure and change.

1:24:05Copy video clip URL Nader speaks on putting the use of the airwaves into the hands of the public and to good work. He advocates using television for education and local civics. He advocates the airing of local culture, saying local musicians may not be as proficient as the Metropolitan Opera but they are from the community. Nader speaks on his efforts and difficulties to use television to inform citizens.

1:31:48Copy video clip URL Nader answers a question on what the United States can learn from Japan. He references problems in the cost of real estate and food, healthcare, democracy, and consumer advocacy. He says the example they set for Americans is attention to detail and discipline.

1:34:19Copy video clip URL Nader speaks of the lack of restraints on corporate executives and the widening gap between the top and the bottom of the corporate structure. He says that Presidents Bush and Reagan have “run the economy into the ground” and that the day will come when the call is made for a new democracy and a new political order. He speaks on the situations in Eastern Europe. He feels that they need higher goals and ambitions for the future.

1:39:30Copy video clip URL Nader speaks on the expenses of keeping soldiers oversees. He says that “the dollar in the civilian economy is more job intensive than the dollar in the military economy.”

1:41:34Copy video clip URL Cut to an interview with Doctor Neal Barnard, who speaks on the addictive qualities and dangers of unhealthy foods. He says the most addictive foods are the most unhealthy. He says that the path towards a fast food society is a “one-way street. Cultures get into this, they don’t get out of it.” He lists predominant health dangers from greasy, fatty foods. He says he treats people with narcotics addictions and says that “if you can get off heroin, off morphine, you should be able to get off grease.” He says that social support is necessary to break habits with food as with drugs. He says that the symptoms of withdrawal are exaggerated and that the real problem is relapse. He points to the stresses of society and weak social support as causes of drug abuse and addiction. He tells a story of a young woman who said she was smoking embalming fluid but was afraid to take any medicines. He advocates the development of free detox and applauds Alcoholics Anonymous (AA).

1:58:47Copy video clip URL End of tape.