No, Sasha Grey is not the face of anti-Ukrainian propaganda

Via Daily Mail

Sasha Grey made some rather explicit sex films before she went into mainstream cinema, but she has always insisted that she was never exploited. So I can understand why she sees her image being stolen for use in sick propaganda as a true obscenity.

According to The Moscow Times (via NYP) the social media post above claimed "a nurse named “Sasha Serova” was captured by Ukrainian military forces, who then filmed themselves “humiliating” her before chopping her body up with an axe."

Here is how the actress responded:

I <3 my Russian fans, but this propaganda takes it too far. News that I was a NURSE killed in the Russian/Ukraine conflict. #fuckpropoganda
— Sasha Grey (@SashaGrey) February 18, 2015

People are dying. People are losing family members & BS outlets mock the deceased with Fappery like this
— Sasha Grey (@SashaGrey) February 18, 2015

Just an FYI some other conservative propaganda outlet labeled me & other Russian artists as friends of the Hunta just last summer/fall.
— Sasha Grey (@SashaGrey) February 18, 2015

So to make it clear FIRST I was the ENEMY & now I'm a FRIEND because this was supposedly the fault of Ukrainians.
— Sasha Grey (@SashaGrey) February 18, 2015

I have love & respect for all of my Russian & Ukrainian fans, I wish there was more I could do. #peace
— Sasha Grey (@SashaGrey) February 18, 2015

I think she made herself pretty clear, don't you?

How can a woman make more than a man in the same career?

Just ask Sasha Grey:





This PSA from Belgium's Equal Pay Day movement is an interesting one. The message, "Porn is about the only way for women to make more than men" highlights the problem of women being valued more for the sexual pleasure they can give to men (either directly or voyeuristically) than for non-sexualized accomplishments.

From the cause site:

On average, women still earn 22% less than men. One of the main reasons this issue still exists is that too often young women make career choices led by general expectations. Equal Pay Day however wants to motivate them to think about these expectations, and not just follow them blindly. Sasha Grey wants to as well, and to help spark the debate, she's agreed to share the story about her short but demanding career in adult entertainment.

At the same time, Ms. Grey is an unashamed and defiantly un-regretful case study in life after porn. She has managed to cross over, perhaps more than any hard core female "adult" performer before her, even though her reputation occasionally gets in the way of her trying to be an average citizen.

Does her refusal to vilify the industry that is being used as the extreme example of sexist attitudes in the workplace help or hinder the message?

Via Illegal Advertising

You knew it was coming to this: PETA to launch porn site

The controversial ".XXX" top level domain is set to launch at year's end. And at the bottom of a Reuters article about how major brands are scrambling to lock down their claims against sexy squatters is this item:

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals also signed up. However, instead of blocking its name, said PETA spokeswoman Lindsay Rajt, the organization will launch peta.xxx as a pornography site that draws attention to the plight of animals.

PETA has long used and abused sexuality (particularly female sexuality) to get its message across.

The fleshy outreach comes in two flavours: the tasteful celebrity nude and the naked dedication of an army of beautiful young nobodies around the world.

The question arises whether PETA is planning to put these earnest and trusting efforts into its "porn" enterprise. First of all, I doubt many of the actresses or volunteers want a career in porn. With, perhaps, some notable exceptions...

Second, why would anyone pay for what PETA gives away for free?

I realize this is just a publicity stunt. But it should also lead you to question what they're really willing to do for their cause.

Is this really the city that fun forgot?

Recently, I've been seeing lots of transit ads for an interesting new user-generated content site: "picture it. downtown."



My first thought was that this is a great idea for helping define Ottawa's brand. Let's celebrate the people who are trying to make urban Ottawa just a little cooler.

Having lived in Ottawa for since 1995, I've always been frustrated by our lack of self-confidence as a city. We allow ourselves to be perceived as a cold, grey, bureaucratic wastelend — "the city that fun forgot".

When outsiders say "Ottawa", they really mean "Government". Just look at today's headlines:

Ottawa's mind closed on carbon (Toronto Star)

Native tribe will petition Ottawa to remove its Indian status (Globe and Mail)

Anyone who knows our city's history, or who has visited the Bytown Museum, knows that we have not always been seen this way. In the days before we were the capital (or even "Ottawa"), Bytown was known as the roughest town in British North America — home to thugs, hookers, and corrupt leaders who could put contemporary New York's Five Points neighbourhood to shame.



So, what happened? How did we become so boring?

Ottawa certainly has lots of life in its core. The Byward Market is a great place to hang out, day or night. We have a fun and exciting independent film community (did you know that pornstar Sasha Grey was in town for a "safe for work" shoot?). We have edgy artists and laid-back galleries. We are a centre of excellence for animation. We have a good music scene. Saucy happenings. A unique ad industry. We even have a few world-class cultural institutions — or so I've heard.

So, as you can imagine, I saw this "picture it" contest and eagerly Googled it in the hopes that Ottawa downtowners were finally going to let the world know how many interesting people, places and scenes this city has in its core.

Or so I thought. Despite the contest's tagline "Grab a friend. Go downtown. "Snap a picture. Share it." the vast majority of pictures I've seen on their online showcase lack something very important: people.

I see pictures of nature, of architecture, of objects. And very few of the people and who bring this city to life. Where's the Parking Angel? Weird paranoid bike guy? The Shawarma Nazi? Digeridude? Last call at the Elgin St. Diner?

If I were to go on the user-generated picture on that site, I would get the impression that Ottawa is a cold, empty place, halfway between museum and nature preserve. And that makes me sad, because that's not the downtown Ottawa I've lived and worked in for 14 years.

But I'm not bashing the contest — or 76 Design, who put together a nice site. It's still a great idea, and user-generated content just is what it is. But I'm going to submit some better pictures to that site. I hope you will too.

Oh, and for those of you following Movember, the 'stache is coming in nicely. Visit my page at ca.movember.com/mospace/348858 to watch it grow and/or donate to end prostate cancer.