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In this thread, and across the press, there's this ridiculous guilt by association epidemic going around. So now, if I met Epstein one time at MIT, without kno

In this thread, and across the press, there's this ridiculous guilt by association epidemic going around. So now, if I met Epstein one time at MIT, without knowing his crimes, I'm a pedophile too? What exactly is Gates being accused of here? Just come out and say it? You guys want him to be a pedophile too so you can tear him down? Gates has done so much good for the world. If Gates is found to have done something wrong, I'll be the first to call him a scumbag. Till then, stop hating on him.

hgoel 7y ago
Exactly my thoughts. It's obvious that everyone's coming up with excuses to avoid this guilt by association trash. Unless and until there's evidence that these people were indeed involved in the trafficking and exploitation directly, they haven't done anything wrong. Even the MIT guy was alright in having taken funding from Epstein, where he deserved to lose his job was all the shady stuff he tried to do alongside that.
namirez 7y ago
>If Gates is found to have done something wrong, I'll be the first to call him a scumbag. I guess people here, and across the press, are asking questions to figure out if he has done anything wrong. Unless you're suggesting that Bill Gates is above and beyond any questioning, the reports sound fair and justified. >So now, if I met Epstein one time at MIT, without knowing his crimes, I'm a pedophile too? Can you show me a single instance of the press accusing Gates of pedophilia? They're just asking why the richest man in the world (at the time) needed a convicted sex offender like Epstein to raise money for philanthropy. Do you think it's an unfair question?
zaphod4prez 7y ago
Epstein was convicted of soliciting a prostitute and of procuring an underage girl for prostitution in 2008 [see his wikipedia page](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffrey_Epstein https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffrey_Epstein). There were rumors about him well before that Bill Gates met with him in 2013. Why did Gates decide to meet with a convicted sex offender and pedophile? I think that, for powerful people, "not setting up meetings with sex offenders" is actually a pretty easy and straightforward ethical bar.
- seanmcdirmid 7y ago
  Not everyone is clued into rumors or googling everyone they meet.
  - ryacko 7y ago
    Did you just dismissively state that high society is above gossip?
    - seanmcdirmid 7y ago
      Existentially quantified, no. Universally quantified, yes. (Key: “not everyone”) Bill Gates is not really typical high society anyways.
- jinushaun 7y ago
  I and probably 99.99999% of the world just learned about this a few months ago. How do we expect Gates to know?
  - AndrewBissell 7y ago
    https://mobile.twitter.com/cindygallop/status/1170087890237440000 https://mobile.twitter.com/cindygallop/status/11700878902374... The idea Gates was unaware of Epstein's past while arranging million-plus dollar donations with him is adorably naive.
yashap 7y ago
Strongly agree. And even if Gates did know Epstein was convicted of soliciting an underage prostitute in 2008, is it that wrong for him to take a meeting with him? He’s not becoming friends with the guy, partying with him, or endorsing his behaviour in any way. If Epstein was just a means to an end for Gates, the end being raising money for aome great causes, then I get the choice to meet with him. For example, if you’re a head of state, diplomat, etc., you’re going to take meetings with guys like Putin, Xi Jinping, Kim Jong-un, or their henchmen. That doesn’t mean you approve of the murders they’ve ordered or the people they’ve oppressed. You’re taking the meeting as a means to an end - maybe it’s the best way to get a trade deal done, so that entrepreneurs in the two countries can buy stuff from each other. Or a closer to home example - say you’re a sales person trying to sell SaaS software to BigCorp. You have an important sales meeting coming up with a BigCorp employee, you do some research and find out that 5 years ago, he solicited an underage prostitute for sex. Do you cancel the meeting? The odd person might, but most would just take the meeting anyways. You wouldn’t become friends with the guy, but you’d still try to sell some software to the business he represents. If people have close personal ties to Epstein, investigate them. At the very least it’s morally reprehensible, and if they participated in the sex rings/paedophilia, charge them. But taking the odd business meeting with a bad person is not a big deal on its own IMO.

hgoel 7y ago

Exactly my thoughts. It's obvious that everyone's coming up with excuses to avoid this guilt by association trash. Unless and until there's evidence that these people were indeed involved in the trafficking and exploitation directly, they haven't done anything wrong. Even the MIT guy was alright in having taken funding from Epstein, where he deserved to lose his job was all the shady stuff he tried to do alongside that.

namirez 7y ago

>If Gates is found to have done something wrong, I'll be the first to call him a scumbag. I guess people here, and across the press, are asking questions to figure out if he has done anything wrong. Unless you're suggesting that Bill Gates is above and beyond any questioning, the reports sound fair and justified. >So now, if I met Epstein one time at MIT, without knowing his crimes, I'm a pedophile too? Can you show me a single instance of the press accusing Gates of pedophilia? They're just asking why the richest man in the world (at the time) needed a convicted sex offender like Epstein to raise money for philanthropy. Do you think it's an unfair question?

zaphod4prez 7y ago

Epstein was convicted of soliciting a prostitute and of procuring an underage girl for prostitution in 2008 [see his wikipedia page](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffrey_Epstein https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffrey_Epstein). There were rumors about him well before that Bill Gates met with him in 2013. Why did Gates decide to meet with a convicted sex offender and pedophile? I think that, for powerful people, "not setting up meetings with sex offenders" is actually a pretty easy and straightforward ethical bar.

seanmcdirmid 7y ago
Not everyone is clued into rumors or googling everyone they meet.
- ryacko 7y ago
  Did you just dismissively state that high society is above gossip?
  - seanmcdirmid 7y ago
    Existentially quantified, no. Universally quantified, yes. (Key: “not everyone”) Bill Gates is not really typical high society anyways.
jinushaun 7y ago
I and probably 99.99999% of the world just learned about this a few months ago. How do we expect Gates to know?
- AndrewBissell 7y ago
  https://mobile.twitter.com/cindygallop/status/1170087890237440000 https://mobile.twitter.com/cindygallop/status/11700878902374... The idea Gates was unaware of Epstein's past while arranging million-plus dollar donations with him is adorably naive.

yashap 7y ago

Strongly agree. And even if Gates did know Epstein was convicted of soliciting an underage prostitute in 2008, is it that wrong for him to take a meeting with him? He’s not becoming friends with the guy, partying with him, or endorsing his behaviour in any way. If Epstein was just a means to an end for Gates, the end being raising money for aome great causes, then I get the choice to meet with him. For example, if you’re a head of state, diplomat, etc., you’re going to take meetings with guys like Putin, Xi Jinping, Kim Jong-un, or their henchmen. That doesn’t mean you approve of the murders they’ve ordered or the people they’ve oppressed. You’re taking the meeting as a means to an end - maybe it’s the best way to get a trade deal done, so that entrepreneurs in the two countries can buy stuff from each other. Or a closer to home example - say you’re a sales person trying to sell SaaS software to BigCorp. You have an important sales meeting coming up with a BigCorp employee, you do some research and find out that 5 years ago, he solicited an underage prostitute for sex. Do you cancel the meeting? The odd person might, but most would just take the meeting anyways. You wouldn’t become friends with the guy, but you’d still try to sell some software to the business he represents. If people have close personal ties to Epstein, investigate them. At the very least it’s morally reprehensible, and if they participated in the sex rings/paedophilia, charge them. But taking the odd business meeting with a bad person is not a big deal on its own IMO.