We’re finishing “Creative Maladjustment Week” 2018, Get Ready for 2019!
We just finished another Creative Maladjustment Week.
In case you are new to that phrase, for more than a decade, Martin Luther King talked about “creative maladjustment.”
MLK would say that he was proud to be creatively maladjusted to problems like militarism, poverty and racism.
A number of years ago, MindFreedom International began a Creative Maladjustment Week to celebrate this idea, and to challenge what is falsely called “normal.”
Of course, there are 8 days in Creative Maladjustment Week. I suggest we add a ninth day, because today, July 15, is the birthday of an amazing, late, psychiatric survivor author and leader: Leonard Roy Frank (photo on right).
You can read about the incredible life of Leonard, one of the early beatnik-dropouts who was tortured by involuntary electroshock, here: https://davidwoaks.com/my-friend-leonard-roy-frank
You can read about Creative Maladjustment Week on a special MindFreedom website here: http://cmweek.org/
Getting Ready For Creative Maladjustment Week 2019
The MindFreedom website for CM Week needs a few improvements. For example, there is a downloadable PDF manual about how you can have a CM event. Unfortunately, each day is connected to a day of the week, which of course would change each year.
Below are the theme days for 2019, including a special ninth day for the birthday of Leonard Roy Frank. I suggest the theme be Revolution. Many people called Leonard the Gandhi of the Mad Movement, and hopefully he would appreciate this.
OK, here are the days and themes for next year:
- July 7, 2019, Sunday, Day 1: Day of Creativity
- July 8, 2019, Monday, Day 2: Day of Action & Movement
- July 9, 2019, Tuesday Day 3: Day of Laughter & Joyful Noise
- July 10, 2019, Wednesday, Day 4: Day of Kindness
- July 11, 2019, Thursday, Day 5: Day of Self Care
- July 12, 2019, Friday, Day 6: Day of Community Care
- July 13, 2019, Saturday, Day 7: Legacy of Lunacy
- July 14, 2019, Sunday, Day 8: Day of PRIDE
- July 15, 2019, Monday, Day 9: Day of Revolution
Please note that July 2019 will also have the 50th Anniversary of the Oregon Country Fair. While I could not find the exact dates for OCF 2019, I will guess that it will be from Friday, July 12, to Sunday, July 14.
Are you inspired by Creative Maladjustment Week? I feel that an update of the idea might help. Perhaps Creative Disorder, since today the mental health system uses the phrase “disorder” more than anything else.
I encourage Positively Crazy activities, which I call the new PC. Too often we hear about negative activities attached to mental problems. The fact is that many creative and peaceful actions are Positively Crazy.
Do you agree? Do you have any ideas? Please post your comment here. Get ready for CM Week 2019. I hope to help update the MindFreedom website and PDF for Creative Maladjustment Week.
