In his speech “The Power of Nonviolence” [1], Martin Luther King Jr. prefaces his concept of “maladjustment” by first referring to that word's more common usage in modern psychology. From that perspective, to be maladjusted is to exhibit an abnormal or neurotic behavior in response to one's environment- by general consensus a negative mental condition. But King in contrast is stating that in some situations, it is a positive reaction when one refuses to adjust to societal norms. Indeed, he declares that “...I am proud to be maladjusted... and never intend to adjust myself to segregation and discrimination”. [1] He then cites other notable men in history that took similar stances: the Old Testament prophet Amos, Jesus, Abraham Lincoln, and Thomas Jefferson. King's premise is that when we find ourselves within a society that is morally and civilly corrupt, to adjust to that is equivalent to apathy at best, and an endorsement at worst.

For discussion, I suggest that there are a number of situations in our modern times that we need to maladjust to. I will give a couple examples, and hope to learn some classmates' choices in response. First, I believe that the industrialized world's treatment of animals, particularly in how we process them for food, is unethical. Yet as a whole we enjoy our beef, pork, and poultry without giving it a second thought. My second example is the global warming scenario, and the corporate/conservative culture's either outright denial or laissez-faire attitude toward the problem. There are small factions out there taking the Reverend Martin Luther's approach to these and other issues. They need a lot more people on their side.

[1] King Jr., Martin Luther. “The Power of Nonviolence”. Bloom, Alexander, and Wini Breines,

            eds. Taking it to the Streets, New York and Oxford. Oxford University Press: 2003.