Pornstar Sasha Grey reads to primary school children.

[weddy]

You just can't make this shit up!! I wonder how the school introduced her to the children. link: www.laweekly.com/informer/2011/11/11/sasha-grey-reads-to-compton-kids-failing-school-district-embarrasses-itself-again

The worlds gone mad - and porn is very much mainstream.

Excellent. What a role model for young females

Is she reading porn to them ? Perhaps she shouldn't be allowed within 6 feet of them or to even have children, eh ?

Sorry, it's been a long day. I hope I have got hold of the wrong end of the pitchfork stick here.

AnyFucker
I just don't think that someone who makes some of the most degrading porn imaginable is a suitable person to read to children at school. What would you tell the children if they asked who the women is and what she does?

How would you feel if a pornstar read to your children at school?

I'm not sure it's the suitability to read to children that is the issue. My concern is that her profession is portrayed as aspirational to young girls and is using her celebrity status to normalise a sexist industry.

At DS's school, any parent who can read and passes Access (checking for convictions) can read to children.

OP are you saying that Sasha Grey shouldn't be allowed to read to children in schools?

She's a former porn star, are you suggesting that she shouldn't be allowed in a classroom with young children? I doubt the children she was reading to were not aware of her past.

She seems to be advocating ending illiteracy in schools rather than recruiting the next generation of porn stars...

What does her (former?) job have to do with anything? Why does she have to be introduced by her (former) job? In her response she sounds like an articulate, intelligent person, interested into outing literacy, that'll do for me and yes she can read to my DD.

She is a former pornstar. I remember reading an interview with her that was interesting - though I cannot for the life of me remember where. Sunday newspaper a few years back probably only thing I ever read.

That said, the interview was primarily interesting for her take on very hard core porn - and she is famous for having sex with fifteen or more men at a time.

If she was in the classroom to read on the basis that she is a person who would be interesting to kids based on her work or what she does with her life (as opposed to someone's aunt or volunteering on a regular basis) - then yeah, I agree OP.

Great post scurry - but I would replace sexist with misogynist.

I was just looking for the interview with her that I mentioned, and read another one during my search - turns out it was written in 2006.

It's a deeply depressing interview for a number of reasons.

In the course of it she refers to herself as "a product of a neglected economic environment".

At one point the (revolting) interviewer says this: "I have friends who are obsessed with Crack Whore Confessions, though I’ve yet to check it out. I’m interested in porn on various levels, but especially enjoy the work that can teach you something about language or the human condition. Seems like Crack Whore Confessions could do that."

She responds: "I think Crack Whore Confessions is both hilarious and tragic. They need to fuck for a different reason than porn stars—we need or want sex, and they need drugs. It is an excellent exposé of human sexuality, which probably frightens a lot of people."

Well I've just looked up Crack Whore Confessions and there are no words for how awful it is.

I suppose I wanted to say something about how unspeakable the side of the porn industry that Sasha Grey was employed in can be, and how extreme (imo) her views were.

What would you tell the children if they asked who the women is and what she does?

Aside from the fact that her career in porn is over now, Actress would fit the bill, surely? Pretty sure she wasn't reading them 50 Shades or anything!

She made a statement about it here
I am an actor. I am an artist. I am a daughter. I am a sister. I am a partner. I have a past that some people may not agree with, but it does not define who I am.

Exactly, why does her past define who she is NOW?

Presumably because these kids will not all live in a hermetic bubble be well supervised and can find things out for themselves.

I don't know if her past defines her, but in the internet age it may exclude her from professional contact with pre pubescent children.

Are the people who don't find this an issue familiar with the type of porn that she did? relevant because her name still leads primarily to information about this?

The reading scheme is about celebrity. The children will understand that and they ill want to know what she is famous for.

the reading scheme is about celebrity

Not according the NEA who set it up and run it.

"There is something powerful about a policeman, firefighter, mayor, radio personality, pastor, high school quarterback or grandmother sharing their love of reading"

Which is presumably why Sasha Grey points out her other roles. She is not reading qua porn star, she is reading qua mother, daughter, etc.

And in any case it's not about emulating the person's profession it's about being inspired by their love of reading. If a pastor read to my atheist children I would not worry about them being taught to value religion unless he read from the bible.

but in the internet age it may exclude her from professional contact with pre pubescent children.

Why? I doubt she is going to be advocating her past career as a valid career choice.

I mean, if she was giving career advice to teens, I might see the issue. But she is reading a completely innocent book to children who have no idea what porn is!

Because what if they google her?

I doubt she is going to be advocating her past career as a valid career choice.

You really need to look this woman up!

Kids google. I would rather she talked to teens honestly and openly, tbh, than to 8 or 9 year olds who could easily find information without explanation.

If she's not there as a celebrity or role model, but as a member of the community, I don't see the problem.

I agree. But the photoshoot the OP links to gives a rather different picture, no?

Gorgeously no

I wouldn't have a problem in the world with her reading to my children in a school setting. I hardly think anything inappropriate will be going on.

Or are people expecting her to be forever walking the earth wearing chains and shouting "unclean, unclean"??

You know, for a section that proclaims to be about women's rights, it does seem that only certain women have rights, and those who are not "approved of" are still trashed and those who are famous are expected to tow the line by changing their name in order to promote feminism.

I thought part of it was having the freedom to make choices without judgement? Big fail that.

She's not promoting her ex job though is she, she's reading to children. Do you think all parent volunteers who read have a virtuous sexual history?

Perhaps not, but she once did, and all I'm thinking about is 8 year olds googling, basically, not anything more complicated than that. If the internet didn't exist: fine. If they were fifteen and knew who she was: fine. I just think you're asking for trouble putting someone in front of primary school children as a celebrity or person of interest and being disingenuous.... they are tenacious little bugs!