MindFreedom International News - 15 January 2008http://www.mindfreedom.org - please forward 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?" ~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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:
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: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PLEASE FORWARD THESE MESSAGES TO ALL APPROPRIATE PLACES ON & OFF THE INTERNET! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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: or use this web link: *** 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 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PLEASE FORWARD THIS TO ALL APPROPRIATE PLACES ON & OFF THE INTERNET! WHAT'S YOUR MAD PRIDE 2008 ACTION? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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
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 Please forward. ~~~~~~~~~~~ If you are not on the MindFreedom-News alert list and wish to be, sign up for this free non-profit public service here: http://www.intenex.net/lists/listinfo/mindfreedom-news 012007 |