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innerdancer's comments:
on Changing Child Sex Crime Law
Not as easy as just forgetting.
As a therapist I specialize in working with adult survivors of trauma, particularly childhood abuse.
Regarding the question "Why don't you just forget about it?" :
Premature sexual experiences, and traumatic memories are not set aside over time, nor fade like other bad experiences. Unfortunately, the way our brains and nervous system are wired to recognize emergency, these experiences can become MORE debilitating over time.
Early sexualization of children can compromise their developing sense of self. Ability to set healthy boundaries, to know where they begin and others end, to be able to truly say "yes" or "no" are all scrambled.
If any sense of safety is involved, neurobiology keeps this experience as raw data, not organized and coherent like the rest of memory.
Children, attempting to create some sense of control over their own lives, will often try to shoulder responsibility, and imagine it to be their own fault. Hence the child will have the sense of shame that rightly belongs solely to the perpetrator.
Others, in an attempt to retain feelings of love and trust on adults they depend on, will dissociate from the experience until they are stronger and long out of the situation.
All of this can take so long to sort out, that it can be years before the survivor has enough sense of self, and safety, to be able to speak out. In light of this, and because perpetrators can be active over decades, I favor repealing the statute of limitations.
Katja Biesanz
posted 2 years, 1 month ago
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on Equal Protection for Sexual Minorities?
I heard a comment read on the air: "I don't think we should add another protected group." I don't think that there is a other group that NEEDS more protection than gays, especially young gay people, right now. A dear friend of mine was killed, and left in a field, for being gay.
posted 2 years, 7 months ago
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on Rx: Personal Values
Access to basic care and universal coverage are important.
In praising the current American health care fiasco, I have heard people boast that anyone can go to an emergency room at any time and get treatment.
Three points regarding this:
In many cases, access to preventative care or a primary care doctor could have prevented it becoming an emergency. Access to urgent intervention does not mean it will be in time to save your life.
The $50. Tylenol cited above occurs to support others who show up at the emergency room and can't pay. Ill people with some money are subsidizing those with none already -- often to the point of bankruptcy.
I have seen friends in dire pain turned away from hospital after hospital, finally getting treatment over 10 hours later. Yes, a dislocated arm is not life-threatening, but without timely intervention, this percussionists drumming ability was impaired (he was a student of national caliber). And the pain was enough to have his eyes keep chaining color. I have heard of others dying after being shunted elsewhere.
- Katja Biesanz
posted 3 years, 9 months ago
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on World-Class Arts?
Studies have shown that a dollar invested in the arts generates at least seven more in the local economy.
Arts do not usually have savings accounts. They circulate grants immediately. When I was an active choreographer, I wrote checks to printers, flyer distributors, fabric stores, costumers, lighting designers, rental companies, janitors, tech crew, art supplies stores, and much more, as well as to the artists I collaborated with.
My audiences paid for baby sitters, had dinner and drinks perhaps, paid for parking, maybe shopped in a local boutique. Some came especially to see the show, counting as tourist dollars. Some of our international guests here in Portland are here for the nature and shopping AND for the lively cultural scene.
- Katja
By the way, while my login is inner dancer, it is because I used to make my living as an artist -- and now work with inner life as a therapist.
posted 3 years, 10 months ago
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on World-Class Arts?
Beauty feeds the human spirit, sensitizes us to the world. It affects the experience even of people who don't formally pay attention to it. Where trees are planted, crime goes down. Classical music played in a New York subway discourages muggings. Art circulating in a car factory in Sweden ups productivity. And when I was a kid, art drew me to school (yes, there was art in the schools then) even when I had a math test, too.
Creative artists feed commercial art and industrial design. The better the influence, the better our lived environment. And design does affect you. Think of the interactions Pioneer Courthouse Square makes possible. How you feel in a cathedral vs a big box store.
Someone below commented that the art of past cultures usually wasn't subsidized. But most of the memorable great art was. The Italian Renaissance happened because of patronage. Temporal and religious leaders commissioned masterpieces. Talent was richly rewarded, and able to thrive.
A government grant organization usually won't fund an arts organization that doesn't demonstrate private donations and audience. But the grants are necessary -- even if an opera sells every ticket -- and some of them aren't cheap -- it has only met half the expense of putting on the show. Unless tickets soar to where only Phil Knight can afford to see the work, the arts need subsidies.
- Katja Biesanz, MA
posted 3 years, 10 months ago
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on The Art of Hard Times
In the Great Depression, artists and artisans were recognized as workers, too. Artists need to buy food as much as road builders.
The WPA hired artists and artisans to do public murals (I bet the post office mural on 7th in PDX is WPA art), illustrate history, make recordings of disappearing songs and musicians, pass on skills to others - making places like Timberline. We still benefit from this legacy.
New York City became the center of the art world rather than Paris part because the US had a bunch of artists who finally could afford to be artists full time. As the general economy improved, they were able to keep writing and painting and taking photographs.
This cultural shift is an overlooked aspect of our country's rise. It had positive economic consequences that last to this day.
- Katja
- Katja
posted 4 years, 2 months ago
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on The Art of Hard Times
The Cultural Trust was created to grow and stabilize funding for culture. To grab these fees is a violation of trust with the buyers of the plates, the very purpose of the Trust, and the intent of the Trust's thousands of donors.
The arts aren't a frill, but a vital part of our lives. We need not only the trust, but all 56 cents per person that the legislature now appropriates
. It will hurt us to lose any of our artists or arts organizations, especially to states that have more sense, or more honor.
- Katja Biesanz
posted 4 years, 2 months ago
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on The Art of Hard Times
Artists, and art organizations, live very close to the edge. Money going to them goes immediately into the local economy for jobs, materials, services and rentals. They employ not only artists, but folks such as printers, accountants, janitors, and carpenters. There are few industries that spread their spending so quickly, or so broadly.
- Katja Biesanz, MA
posted 4 years, 2 months ago
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on The Art of Hard Times
On the surface, stripping the arts budget may seem to make sense. In fact, it would be amputating a vital part of our economy, as well as betraying public trust — literally.And we are discussing spending money on professional sports teams? Even opera houses are better civic economic investments than stadiums. Public art makes local people more money, as art-goers spend in shops and restaurants. Consider the dead zone that is the Rose Quarter – then think of the lively area around the Schnitz.
posted 4 years, 2 months ago
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on The Art of Hard Times
Is the State Stealing Our (Arts) License Plates?
I thought it was thieves who made license plates! The Legislature is eyeing the Oregon Cultural Trust as a piggy bank for other purposes. This money was generated by donations and Arts license plate fees — plus interest. The idea was to give the arts stable funding, in good times and bad. Bad times are here, and they want to go back on the deal.Just when we had finally moved up from the bottom three states in per capita arts funding -- three whole slots.
posted 4 years, 2 months ago
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on Polo's Counter Intelligence
This is not just about belief or cultural custom. This is about a cultural sensitivity to certain realities that has been filtered out in the "Western" world since a misunderstanding of Newton created a mechanical understanding of the universe (compounding Descartes split between mind, body and soul).
Other cultures, on many continents, acknowledge the experience of such realities. I have collected over 60 words for subtle energy. Many are from traditional cultures-- some are from scientists who stumbled on these phenomena (oh, so dangerous for getting tenure) and needed to invent their own terminology.
I submit that many of the protestors of the cemetery violation actually experienced the disturbance of the place, and perhaps even of the dead themselves. Could it be not an idea, but a response to a situation that "Western" culture ill equips one to perceive.
- Katja Biesanz
posted 4 years, 5 months ago
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on Packing Heat Privately
I am a mental health professional. If a client were to have a manic/psychotic episode or stalk me, I would like to know the likelihood that they would have a gun. It is true that they could have an illegal weapon, but many people have obtained guns legally -- it is not difficult. As a clinician, I would probably know if my client engaged in criminal activities, and hence might surmise that the client would perhaps carry an illegal gun. I would not make this assumption with more law-abiding folks, and it would be good to know the degree of risk. Fortunately, this has not been a problem for me yet - even my psychotic or formerly criminal clients are wonderful.
I have, however, worked with clients, and known women who have been victims of domestic violence. The most dangerous time is right after they have left the abuse. Domestic violence is the most likely way for a woman to be violently killed -- not the feared mugger with with illegal handgun. (It is ironic that the guns possessed to defend ourselves against such attacks are far more likely to harm a family member, through anger or accident.) Wives and girlfriends do not always know if their partner has a gun. Being able to find out quickly if an estranged partner has a permit could be helpful.
The third question, and this involves homes more than hidden guns on a person, is if children have access. I would want to know if there were guns in the house, and if they were adequately locked away (rather than left in a jacket over the couch), if I were to allow children to play there.
- Katja Biesanz
posted 4 years, 5 months ago
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on The Price of Art
I work in a different field now, and when I am creative I employ two or three, instead of dozens. A few dozen might see my work, instead of hundreds.
Donations are seed money. They make the venture possible.
Yes, we can think like MBA's. But then the creative director puts creativity into ads, and tie ins, and the creative process starves.
posted 5 years, 4 months ago
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on The Price of Art
Here, while I could find quality dancers, this was not possible for me. Most all of the dancers had full time real jobs - not the kind you quit to tour. For most dancers, there was not the possibility to make a living at all as a dancer, so they had developed serious money jobs, and got up early or rehearsed after work, in order to keep dancing.
When a company can perform a lot together, in front of different audiences in different spaces, it becomes honed to another level. There is a polish, and a tight ensemble. It becomes a fine instrument.
There are choreographers and dancers here with this potential, but without more support, only a handful can ever develop international quality.
What we do have here is invention and passion.
But remember - there have been talented individuals throughout history. We had the Italian Renaissance, for example, because patrons met that talent and allowed it full florishing.
posted 5 years, 4 months ago
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