MindFreedom International News - 15 January 2008

http://www.mindfreedom.org

Today is the Birthday of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

MLK called for "Creative Maladjustment"!

Mad Pride Movement asks, "What action will YOU take in 2008?"

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Today, 15 January 2008, would have been Rev. Martin Luther King,

Jr.'s 79th birthday.

The Mad Pride movement asks you a simple question:

By MLK's 80th birthday in 2009, what action will you take to show

your "creative maladjustment"?

What is creative maladjustment?

MLK repeated this theme more than a dozen times in essays and

speeches stretching from the 1950's during his training at Highlander to

a keynote speech in front of the American Psychological Association in

1967:

1. MLK said psychologists had a favorite word, "maladjusted."

2. MLK said he was proud to be psychologically maladjusted, that we all

ought to be maladjusted to oppression, poverty, war.

3. MLK said the "salvation of the world" lies in the hands of the

creatively maladjusted.

4. MLK said over and over that the world is in dire need for an

"International Association for the Advancement of Creative

Maladjustment."

Martin Luther King's IAACM was not, apparently, ever officially formed.

Until last year.

MindFreedom International, an organization working for human rights of

people in the mental health system, intentionally and officially began

the IAACM as part of the MAD PRIDE movement.

For a decade "Mad Pride" celebrates each and every human being's

creative uniqueness and right to be nonviolently different, including we

people who have survived the psychiatric system. Like Gay Pride, Mad

Pride events have included parades, theater, "bed pushes," concerts and

more.

As long as you follow MLK's nonviolence guidelines, *YOU* are a

leader in the IAACM! Yes, you! Get grandiose, get Mad Pride! If not now,

when?

BELOW are messages to you from some of the world leaders of the Mad

movement, as MFI prepares for a special seven-nation global

teleconference today, on MLK's birthday, about MAD PRIDE, and how to help

YOU take action in 2008:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mary Maddock, co-founder of MindFreedom Ireland and psychiatric

survivor, says:

"We are proud to be mad, to be vulnerable, to be human beings. We are

proud to be maladjusted to a world which believes in war and division, a

world which does not value uniqueness, creativity, love, insight and

harmony."

Adds John McCarthy of MindFreedom Ireland and psychiatric survivor says:

"We plan a Mad Pride event on 8 June 208 in Cork, Ireland. It is a

family fun day to highlight the normality of madness and we are

hoping to get national media coverage."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dan Taylor, Secretary of of MindFreedom Ghana in Accra, Ghana, Africa

says:

"It's a real coincidence that Martin Luther King' birthday is on the same

day we're having the Mad Pride teleconference. Today being the day of the

teleconference, I'm well psyched up to participate while joining the

others out there. My quotation linking Mad Pride and MLK is that, 'Mad as

some take us to be, our capabilities are not in the least subdued or

overawed by our madness. We are proud of our invaluable contributions

everywhere we are.' For our Mad Pride Event 2008 by MindFreedom Ghana we

intend organizing radio and TV talk shows as well as street march and end

it all with a musical and cultural pageant. These activities will be

organized in July 2008."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ruth Ruth of the Friendly Spike Theater in Toronto, Canada says:

The Friendly Spike Theatre Band is helping to gather Mad Pride

Organizers to plan another great year of Toronto Mad Pride Events to take

place during July 2008. Events will include theatre, film and

presentations, and another great Toronto Mad Pride Bed Push!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Says Terry from the UK:

"Martin Luther King believed in a world where everyone can be

respected, and saw clearly that this will only come about when we

have respect for the diversity of our minds."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Says Beth Sholtis in Ohio:

"I have not been involved with MAD PRIDE until now. I would like to bring

attention to how challenging the mental health system is for us, when it

should be simpler. I want to do this in a way that is entertaining,

educational, and interesting -- maybe even funny."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WHAT IS YOUR "MAD PRIDE" ACTION FOR 2008?

Your Mad Pride action shows your creative maladjustment, and does not

have to be big.

Yes, there are some major events planned, such as the amazing annual

"Bonkerfest" in UK that involves thousands with music and frivolity;

theater events in Toronto; concerts in Australia; an annual campout

protest on the grounds of the Capitol in Albany, NY; annual street

marches in Accra, Ghana; normality screenings at the huge Oregon Country

Fair.

But small events are as important! Even two or three people can take a

Mad Pride nonviolent action by, say, holding up a sign publicly with your

unique message, taking a digital photo, and e-mailing it into MindFreedom

at news@mindfreedom.org  or uploading it. Include a caption. Be creative!

Or you could do a skit, such as the "Normality Screening" inspired by the

Patch Adams clown troupe in Florence, Italy. This is an "airport- type"

screening for normality using a rubber chicken, white coat and red rubber

nose. People love these! MindFreedom has held more than 1,000 normality

screenings, including at the entrance to the American Psychiatric

Association headquarters. Normality has never ever been found.

Let us know your hopes and dreams for your Mad Pride event at

news@mindfreedom.org. n

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MAD PRIDE weekly free live call-in Internet radio!

You can phone in LIVE from anywhere in the world!

MindFreedom International holds a free, live call-in radio show on

the web each week!

You can phone in with your MAD PRIDE suggestions, questions, ideas,

songs, sayings! Host David Oaks, Director of MindFreedom includes the

latest news.

For info on the next MindFreedom Mad Pride Free Live Call-in Web

Radio Show, including how to listen and hear the phone numbers to

call in live, check here:

http://www.mindfreedom.org/next-radio

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Last year, in 2007, info about MLK & IAACM got more hits on the

MindFreedom International web site than anything else!

HERE IS MORE INFO on the web about Mad Pride, MLK & IAACM:

*** QUOTES from Martin Luther King about his dream of an

International Association for the Advancement of Creative

Maladjustment (IAACM), here:

http://www.mindfreedom.org/kb/mental-health-global/iaacm/MLK-on-IAACM

or use this web link:

http://tinyurl.com/2rhank

*** ONLINE VIDEO of MLK calling for creative maladjustment:

http://www.mindfreedom.org/mfi-video/mlk

*** MINDFREEDOM LAUNCH of IAACM last year:

http://www.mindfreedom.org/campaign/madpride/mlk-iaacm

*** INFO ABOUT MAD PRIDE MOVEMENT, including update of known 2007

events:

http://www.mindfreedom.org/campaign/madpride

*** HOW TO SCREEN FOR "NORMALITY"

http://www.mindfreedom.org/campaign/madpride/normality-screening

or use this web link:

http://tinyurl.com/26ltpg

*** BRIEF VIDEO ABOUT HOW TO DO AN EASY NORMALITY SCREENING:

http://www.mindfreedom.org/campaign/madpride/mlk-iaacm/how-to-screen-normality

or use this web link:

http://tinyurl.com/2nta3w

*** MORE MFI VIDEOS:

http://www.mindfreedom.org/mfi-video

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

More news at the MindFreedom News Web Site:

http://www.mindfreedom.org

Don't see a news item? Submit it to news@mindfreedom.org

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Build united strength in numbers!

JOIN MINDFREEDOM INTERNATIONAL!

http://www.mindfreedom.org/join-donate

* Win human rights campaigns in mental health.

* End abuse by the psychiatric drug industry.

* Support self-determination of psychiatric survivors.

* Promote safe, humane, effective options in mental health.

* Show your MAD PRIDE!

MindFreedom is a nonprofit human rights group that unites 100 sponsor and

affiliate groups with individual members.

MindFreedom is one of the very few totally independent activist

groups in the mental health field with no funding from governments, drug

companies, religions, corporations, or the mental health system.

All human rights supporters are invited to join MFI by donating here:

http://www.mindfreedom.org/join-donate

For hard-to-find books and gear, including a normality screening kit, go

to MFI's Mad Market here:

http://www.madmarket.org

MindFreedom International Office:

454 Willamette, Suite 216 - POB 11284; Eugene, OR 97440-3484 USA

web site: http://www.mindfreedom.org

e-mail: office@mindfreedom.org

MFI office phone: (541) 345-9106

MFI member services toll free: 1-877-MAD-PRIDe or 1-877-623-7743

fax: (541) 345-3737

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