This week we acknowledge the great contribution of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and his powerfully moving “I Have a Dream” speech in August 1963. It is fitting opportunity to revisit this great leader’s thoughts, methods and most importantly his ability to inspire and create change through political education and citizen activism.
From the deaths, bloodshed, tears and absolute due diligence of civil right’s leaders and citizen activists in the 1960’s a new era emerged. Civil Rights and Voting Right’s legislation passed opening doors of immense possibility. The change was monumental and a true paradigmatic shift of sufficient, collective consciousness that led to a new direction. Historic changes followed with school integration, affirmative action policies, more social inclusiveness and greater representation for African-Americans. These advances, of course, made the first black president, of a once slave owning nation possible, while elevating many people of color with expanded opportunities and access to political position and power that was previously unknown.
A few years after the march on Washington, in 1966 during a speech entitled Don’t Sleep Through The Revolution Dr. King spoke of maladjustment,
There are some things in our nation and in our world to which
I’m proud to be maladjusted… I never intend to adjust myself
to segregation and discrimination. I never intend to become
economic conditions that will take necessities from the many to
give luxuries to the few, and leave millions of people perishing
on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of
prosperity. I never intend to adjust myself to the madness of
militarism, and to the self-defeating effects of physical violence
` Through such maladjustment we will be able to emerge from the bleak and desolate midnight of man’s inhumanity to man, into the bright and glittering daybreak of freedom and justice.
In his speech, King specifically challenged the notion that the goal of psychology is to help individuals become “well-adjusted” to the social world around them. As King put it in his speech:
"You who are in the field of psychology have given us a great word. It is the word “maladjusted.” It is good certainly declaring that destructive maladjusment should be eradicated. But on the other hand, I am sure that we all recognize that there are some things in our society, some things in our world to which we should never be adjusted. There are some things that we must always be maladjusted to if we are to be people of good will. We must never adjust ourselves to racial discrimination and racial segregation. We must never adjust ourselves to religious bigotry. We must never adjust ourselves to economic conditions that take necessities from the many to give luxuries to the few. We must never adjust ourselves to the madness of militarism and the self-defeating effects of physical violence."
King argued that it is actually pathological for a person to become well-adjusted to a world of injustice, violence, and exploitation. Further, if psychologists were going to make a more meaningful contribution to mental health, they would have to find ways to help ordinary citizens deepen their capacity for what King called “creative maladjustment.”
King made a call for collective action:
"It may well be that our world is in dire need of a new organization: The International Association for the Advancement of Creative Maladjustment. Men and women should be as maladjusted as the prophet Amos, who in the midst of the injustices of his day, could cry out in words that echo across the centuries, “Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream;” or as maladjusted as Abraham Lincoln, who in the midst of his vacillations finally came to see that this nation could not survive half slave and half free… Through such creative maladjustment, we may be able to emerge from the bleak and desolate midnight of man’s inhumanity to man, into the bright and glittering daybreak of freedom and justice."
MLK distinguished and described creatively maladjusted as “disciplined non-conformity” keeping with his vision for non-violent, civil disobedience towards creation of “Beloved Community” which was for him a realistic, achievable goal that could be attained by a critical mass of people committed to and trained in the philosophy and methods of nonviolence.
Sociologists and cognitive psychologists identify a "collective action frame" or cognitive frame that is most likely to inspire. The frame is one that includes, “interpretations of the injustice or immorality of specific social conditions, an attribution of blame for them, some kind of action agenda for solving them, and a motivation for taking that action.” Dr. King was especially good at the creating this collective action frame that brought many voices together as one during the civil rights movement.
One last thought from my personal experience with creative maladjustment as an anti-war activist during the Vietnam war and a member of the Yippies anti-war activist's movement for social change:
After years of Vietnam war, students on campus initiated (they were the draft age group sent to die with intense survival instincts to save themselves and they age cohorts hence motivated) and We the People reached into mainstream society for help to overtake the behemoth Military Industrial Complex powerhouse. It was essential wake them up and educate the masses comfortable in their living rooms and unaffected by immediacy or urgency some profiting immensely from war industry stocks doing incredible business with the government. The Yippies were especially good at garner publicity via media attention and recruiting members with their colorful and charismatic leader, Abbie Hoffman and street theater scripted antics so off the wall that media could be counted on to carry their message.
Abbie Hoffman and Yippie co-founder Jerry Rubin books::
The Occupy movement is in the best position now as a comparably motivated group without jobs, educated and facing a bleak future without change. I encourage them to study the Yippies street theater methodology particularly. Also, don't be afraid to let natural leaders aspire. 'Nuff said on that but build leadership when it emerges instead of pushing it down and demanding consensus, see how far out there beyond the normative thought, natural leaders can go. Okay now 'nuff said on that.
Since Citizen's United various industries/sectors without unified vision or socio-political ideology have unprecedented political power and influence The GOP internal schism is our advantage. We and by that I mean ALL WHO WOULD LIKE TO ASSURE SURVIVAL OF OUR SPECIES ON AN INHABITABLE, SUSTAINABLE PLANET. We no is a 99% versus 1% proposition. We have passed the point of no return on the planet unless action is immediately reversed.
Republicans must realize if they put House Republicans back in 2014 they have assured two more years, at least, wasted.
As a progressive social movement today, we are challenged to find ways to help foster creative maladjustment in sufficient numbers of hearts and minds to create a collective action frame for the 21st century. We must be proficient with due diligence to reverse the regressive trends and threats we now face. I dedicate this blog towards that cause.
One last thought from my personal experience with creative maladjustment as an anti-war activist during the Vietnam war and a member of the Yippies anti-war activist's movement for social change:
WE STOPPED A WAR!
"WE THE PEOPLE" SUCCESSFULLY OVERPOWERED THE DOMINANCE OF MILITARY INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX POWER!
WE CAN DO IT AGAIN!
If you are interested there is a little preview of my autobiographical project on the blog I used to determine interest and seek investment for a project to enlighten the world about the vital resource to be found in many people with mental health disorders like my own Bipolar I disorder if only they stop squashing and sequestering away by marginalizing, over-medicating, rejecting and disenfranchising instead of elevating, healing, educating and accommodating. http://thiskidneedshelptoo.blogspot.com/2013/02/bye-bye-carnaby-streethello-abbie.html
After years of Vietnam war, students on campus initiated (they were the draft age group sent to die with intense survival instincts to save themselves and they age cohorts hence motivated) and We the People reached into mainstream society for help to overtake the behemoth Military Industrial Complex powerhouse. It was essential wake them up and educate the masses comfortable in their living rooms and unaffected by immediacy or urgency some profiting immensely from war industry stocks doing incredible business with the government. The Yippies were especially good at garner publicity via media attention and recruiting members with their colorful and charismatic leader, Abbie Hoffman and street theater scripted antics so off the wall that media could be counted on to carry their message.
Abbie Hoffman and Yippie co-founder Jerry Rubin books::
The critical mass of "collective action frame" sufficient to inspire and overpower a huge, dominant force of Military Industrial Complex violent perpetrators of war was successfully achieved in the Vietnam anti-war movement; Started on college campus with other groups like SDS and Black Panthers too.
The Occupy movement is in the best position now as a comparably motivated group without jobs, educated and facing a bleak future without change. I encourage them to study the Yippies street theater methodology particularly. Also, don't be afraid to let natural leaders aspire. 'Nuff said on that but build leadership when it emerges instead of pushing it down and demanding consensus, see how far out there beyond the normative thought, natural leaders can go. Okay now 'nuff said on that.
Since Citizen's United various industries/sectors without unified vision or socio-political ideology have unprecedented political power and influence The GOP internal schism is our advantage. We and by that I mean ALL WHO WOULD LIKE TO ASSURE SURVIVAL OF OUR SPECIES ON AN INHABITABLE, SUSTAINABLE PLANET. We no is a 99% versus 1% proposition. We have passed the point of no return on the planet unless action is immediately reversed.
Republicans must realize if they put House Republicans back in 2014 they have assured two more years, at least, wasted.
For our Republican supply side and Libertarian free market friends:
Essentially, when profit is the primary motive, without consideration of impact on others and without any ethical guiding principals that restrains what means and methods of acquiring the goal of profit or political office, we as moral beings commanded to love one another and do unto others as we would want them to do unto us have SCREWED UP BIG TIME and gotten it ALL WRONG.. It's the golden calf worship all the way. Got it!
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