Sasha Grey, Literacy Advocate: What Are We So Afraid Of?

Reading Is Fundamental (Koga/LAist)

Actress and adult entertainer Sasha Grey was on "The View" this morning to serve as a "living Hot Topic" to talk about the whole reading to school kids debacle. The hosts managed to not impersonate a henhouse and pressed Grey on her decision not only to pursue a career in porn, but to participate in a program that had her reading to youngsters at a Compton elementary school.

Grey said that had the school contacted parents prior to her visit and had any of the parents objected, she would not have done the reading appearance. However, Grey points to the failings of the Compton Unified School District for not being forthcoming before or after her appearance--they initially denied Grey had been reading at the school on November 2, 2011--as well as the press, who Grey says threw a "sanctimonious media firestorm" her way when the so-called scandal broke.

One of the school district's most frustrating attempt at denial was to say they only knew Grey from her role on the HBO series "Entourage." According to a statement issued by the CUSD (not available on the CUSD site but published by L.A. Now): "The outside talent coordinator listed the actress as a mainstream actress from the HBO show 'Entourage.' Although we have worked with this talent coordinator for several years, we will meet to review the participant selection process."

Who does porn star Sasha Grey play on "Entourage" by the way? Why, it's the character of porn star Sasha Grey! Weirdsies, no?

What could perhaps be more outrageous is that parents are outraged at someone for reading to their children--the horror! Parents publicly lamented that the CUSD didn't pick a fireman or a policeman. Hey, how about the fireman who got busted for buying heroin? Because, certainly, our occupations cement our suitability for sharing a storybook with a room full of 1st graders.

Said Grey in a statement last week: "Illiteracy contributes to poverty; encouraging children to pick up a book is fundamental. I believe education is a universal right."

Is it so awful that an advocate for literacy happens to have made her fortune and fame doing hard-core sex scenes? Or are we so paralyzed that our five year olds might come home asking "Mommy, who is Sasha Grey?" (Hint: Maybe you don't have to tell them more than "actress." Remember, you're also telling them a fat old man in a red suit and a giant bunny come once a year to leave them presents.) So now we don't read to our kids, and we're too scared to talk to them, too.

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By Lindsay William-Ross in Arts & Entertainment on November 16, 2011 11:45 AM 0 Comments

Comments [rss]

Maria Muse

As someone who is familiar with adult entertainment (not THAT familiar) even I will say that it's a tough call there... I think her intentions are very sweet, but I don't know..

PicoPhreako69

" Instead of judging an individual for their occupation, which by the way
is legal, we should look at their deeds and actions. She's not shooting
up drugs, she's not driving drunk and getting arrested. She wakes up
early in the morning to go down and read to school kids in Compton. Few
people would do that."

YES.
THIS.

R

I for one resent the implication that getting up early is linked to being a good person. Totally ok with the rest of it.

PicoPhreako69

Well, put another way,....

Honi Soit qui Mal y Pense,

>;>)=

(says him who rarely gets out of bed before 11 a.m.)

328la

I wonder what would happen if bankers or Wall Street executives had volunteered to read books to children? Would people throw their arms up and say that those individuals are not suitable role models? If she likes to read books to children, and the children appreciate her reading. What's the problem? She is not selling porn to the kids. Neither should the corrupt bankers and Wall Street executives sell mortgage-backed securities to the kids either.

Everyone should volunteer to read to children. If that happened, we would have a better society. Instead of judging an individual for their occupation, which by the way is legal, we should look at their deeds and actions. She's not shooting up drugs, she's not driving drunk and getting arrested. She wakes up early in the morning to go down and read to school kids in Compton. Few people would do that.

Manny Miles

Kids are SUPPOSED to know who's reading to them in class, or the whole purpose of having an inspiring guest is defeated. You can find anyone to read to children in the classroom, like a teacher, a teacher's aide, a parent, or the best reader in the class, but when it comes to reading programs reaching out to children to encourage them to read, that is where 'selection process' comes into the picture. Kids need to know about the person reading to them to know if they should even care. How do you explain, or why for that matter, to a kid that their reader is famous for being a sex worker on film? Kids don't need to know/learn about porn stars from school or their parents right now cos that time will come later. I'm not knocking Sasha Grey for trying, and having best intentions to help a cause, but come on, she should have known better. It seems like Miss Grey is trying to clean up her past by doing 'good' work today, but when you do something like this it only brings it more to the surface. Better discretion, and decisions are in order. I honestly feel porn stars can NEVER, or should be allowed, to be role models for children, let alone bad cops and fire captains. Let's show them porn, and let them shower and horseplay with grown ups while they're at it. #ComeOnMan