MindFreedom International News - 21 January 2008

http://www.mindfreedom.org

USA Officially Celebrates the Life of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

MLK called for "International Association for the Advancement of

Creative Maladjustment" (IAACM)

TODAY: Patch Adams, MD Agrees to be New Chair of the "IAACM"!

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This day, 21 January 2008, is the official national holiday in the

USA to celebrate the life of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., who would have

turned 79 last week.

Just moments ago, Patch Adams, MD phoned up MindFreedom International

from his home in Virginia. Patch agreed to be the new chair of a dream

MLK had that never came true:

The IAACM.

That's the International Association for the Advancement of Creative

Maladjustment, not the International Association of Air Cleaner

Manufacturers.

Patch Adams is the internationally famous psychiatric survivor

physician/clown who was portrayed by Robin Williams in a film about

Patch's life.

Repeatedly, in the last two decades of his life, Rev. King said in

speeches and essays that he was proud to be "psychologically

maladjusted" to oppression, war and poverty.

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

maladjusted!"

More than 10 times MLK said the world desperately needed a new

organization, the International Association for the Advancement of

Creative Maladjustment (IAACM)!

As far we know, the IAACM never officially formed. Time Magazine

called it a "half joke."

But last year, in 2007, MindFreedom International helped launch the IAACM

at its international conference as part of the "Mad Pride" movement that

celebrates the right to be nonviolently different, odd, crazy, nuts,

strange, weird, or whatever term society would like to toss our way.

Who else could have intentionally and consciously formed the IAACM, in

reality, other than psychiatric survivors?

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"?

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.

Patch announced the paradox today that as official honorary chair he

would like to have the IAACM "as non-hierarchical as possible."

Patch said the main quality he would most like to celebrate is,

"Insane persistence! Never, ever give up. I am crazy every day. Stay

nuts!" Patch travels the world 300 days of the year spreading his message

of maladjustment. In 2008 he will be in Haiti and Darfur among other

places literally dying for a new kind of normality.

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

leader in the IAACM!

Your suggested long-term goal: Millions upon millions upon millions --

okay billions, why not -- of people engaged in creative acts of cultural

disobedience! Hey, we're in a global crisis -- get grandiose!

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

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. ON "NORMALCY":

"The only normalcy that we will settle for is the normalcy that

recognizes the dignity and worth of all of God's children.

"The only normalcy that we will settle for is the normalcy that

allows judgment to run down like waters, and righteousness like a

mighty stream.

"The only normalcy that we will settle for is the normalcy of

brotherhood, the normalcy of true peace, the normalcy of justice...

"We must come to see that the end we seek is a society at peace with

itself, a society that can live with its conscience. And that will be a

day not of the white man, not of the black man. That will be the day of

[hu]man as [hu]man."

-from MLK's 25 March 1965 speech in Montgomery, Ala.

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

LATEST MAD PRIDE 2008 NEWS!

IAACM actions can be about anything. You don't need a psychiatric label.

For example: Even a few people together can do public "cultural

disobedience" about something to which we ought to be maladjusted,

nonviolently, and take a digital photo, get it out. You've done an

IAACM action!

As usual, though, people with psychiatric labels are leading the planet!

Mad Pride "IAACM" actions for 2008 have been announced already been

announced in seven nations!

For example, there's the third annual "Bonkersfest" in UK which

gathers together thousands for music and costume and strangeness.

Three thousand people participated last year, and far more are

expected this year. This year Bonkersfest will be on the site of the

actual historically infamous "Bedlam" psychiatric institution!

A number of nations are holding "Bed Pushes." This is where

individuals dressed in patient garb help push a bed through the

streets to "escape" people dressed as psychiatrists carrying huge

needles. The public loves them, the psychiatric industry not so much.

Past Bed Pushes have won national media in UK, along with publicity in

Canada and the USA. This year Berlin has announced a Bed Push, and more

are expected.

A new innovation in the Bed Push announced for Oregon: MFI mad

scientists are developing huge pill or capsule props to help roll

after and "chase" the bed, symbolizing the overwhelming power of the

psychiatric drug industry. Stay tuned.

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

have to be big.

Yes, there are some major events planned, including 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 once more at the huge Oregon Country Fair (more than

a thousand done, no normality found yet).

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 or video, and e- mailing it into

MindFreedom at pride@mindfreedom.org  or uploading it to YouTube. Include

a caption. Use the IAACM tag. Be creative!

Or you could do a public skit, such as that "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 is never found.

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

pride@mindfreedom.org  . Both labeled and unlabeled are all welcome to

lead.

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

LATEST LINKS ON MAD PRIDE:

*** HOW-TO tips from Rufus in UK about how you can hold a Bed Push,

including a link to dozens of photos of their three years of Bed Pushes:

http://www.mindfreedom.org/campaign/madpride/how-to

*** New MAD PRIDE 2008 full-color graphic by Canadian artist Irina

Lyubchenko that anyone can use for MAD PRIDE events under Creative

Commons copyright..... along with updated listing of all known 2007 MAD

PRIDE events, and how to get on MAD PRIDE e-mail lists for both 'talk'

and 'news':

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

*** INFO ON PATCH ADAMS and Gesundeit Institute, which has been

sponsor group of MindFreedom's coalition since 1992:

http://www.patchadams.org

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

MORE NEW ITEMS ON MFI WEB SITE:

*** LATEST UPDATE on conferences and events all over world:

http://www.mindfreedom.org/events_listing

*** Exclusive to MindFreedom: Prof. NORMAN SARTORIUS of Geneva,

retired from WHO, summarizes studies that show that your best chance of

full recovery from a "serious" mental health problems is to live in

poorer, developing countries, rather than rich, developed nations!

http://www.mindfreedom.org/kb/mental-health-global/sartorius-on-who

*** REVIEW by Ron Bassman -- psychiatric survivor & psychologist -- of

book "Alternatives Beyond Psychiatry":

http://www.mindfreedom.org/kb/resources/review-alternatives-beyond-psychiatry

*** ANNOUNCING NEW AFFILIATE:

MindFreedom Germany has started! You may e-mail to the affiliate at

germany@mindfreedom.org.  Get your German translation of the MFI brochure

(and English versions for that matter!) here:

http://www.mindfreedom.org/brochure

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

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

*** 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

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

Please forward this to all appropriate places on & off the internet!

What's your  IAACM - Mad Pride 2008 Action?

E-mail to: pride@mindfreedom.org

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

More news at the MindFreedom News Web Site:

http://www.mindfreedom.org

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

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

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